Charade
by WindeSprite
Summary: AU: Japan is at war with Russia, and Kagome is working as a nurse in a field hospital near battlelines; InuYasha is part of a youkai resistance group. A chance encounter will throw them into a tailspin of trying events - will the charade ever be lifted?
1. War Zone

.::. Just a re-post of chapter one with minor changes. Enjoy! .::.

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**Charade**

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**Chapter One: WAR ZONE**

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**Kagome bit her lip** as she moved on to the next soldier lying on the floor in an undignified heap. _Stupid ambulance drivers; can't they take the time to at least lay these poor men down comfortably? _She kneeled beside the wounded soldier and moved his right arm, so it wasn't covering his chest. She lightly probed beneath his ribs, checking for any sign of injury. None seemed apparent.

Then she glanced down and caught her breath.

_"Miss Higurashi!" _

The soldier's leg had been penetrated by bullets several times, and, from the looks of it, had embedded shrapnel in various places—probably an effect from a distant grenade. It was a good thing she'd forced herself to not focus on the blood; her first day in the field hospital, she had been assigned to administer an anesthetic during an amputation, since the normal nurse had contracted typhus from one of the patients, and was quarantined. She'd taken one look at the mutilated limb and passed out cold. It was miracle she hadn't landed on one of the wounded.

_Curse it all. _Why had she ever volunteered to go nurse at the frontlines? She should have been back in the pediatrics ward back at the Tokyo General Hospital; but instead, here she was in Sapporo, where skirmishes between their armies and the Russians had been going on for a week or so, tending to wounded, dying _boys _that could have passed for any classmate of hers back at nursing school.

_"Miss Higurashi, I need you!" _

She ignored the impatient voice and knelt down beside the boy, searching her waist for the length of linen she always carried around with her for bandaging wounds—

Oh, that's right. She'd used the last bit of it two patients ago; Doctor Kitosumo hadn't seen fit to give her any more.

"Curse it all," she muttered, and hastily untied her long, starched apron. It would have to do.

"Miss…?" the boy whispered, his voice feverish. "M-my leg…"

"Hai?" she prompted gently, trying valiantly to rip her apron into smaller pieces.

"H-hurts…"  
"I know—I'm sorry—I wish—" She stopped, knowing nothing she could say would ease the boy's pain at all.

_"Miss Higurashi, for the last time—" _

"I'm COMING!" Kagome shouted over her shoulder, giving up the attempt to rip her apron, and wrapping the whole yard-and-a-half of cloth around the soldier's leg. "There, that should slow the bleeding a little—or at least until the doctor can see you—"

"Miss!" the soldier grabbed her arm as she began to rise. "Tell the doctor not to take my leg," he gritted through clenched teeth. "Onegai…."

"I—I can't do that," said Kagome, her heart wrenching. _Don't care, don't care—if you start to care about every soldier you tend to, you'll be a wreck by the time this war is over. _ "It's not my decision to make."

"But can you tell the doc that I need this leg? I run marathons—for cancer. Please…"

"Of course I'll tell him," she blurted, lying through her teeth. It was a righteous lie, she consoled herself.

The boy visibly relaxed. "Arigato, Miss."

"You're—"

_"HIGURASHI!"_

"—welcome," she finished dully. Kagome heaved a sigh and ran in the direction of the voice, weaving her way through the minefield of bodies—and corpses. She tried not to look at the ones who had died before they could receive help.

She searched for the source of the voice, hoping that it was anyone but— Her heart sank as she spotted the doctor scowling in her direction. Doctor Kitosumo, the General Director of the field hospital—whom some swore was the reincarnation of Machiavelli—had taken an aversion to Kagome since the day she walked into the field hospital on the outskirts of Sapporo as a newbie Registered Nurse (RN) exactly three days ago. Of course, the man had never said a kind word to anyone, the nurses who had worked with him for over two years called the man "the devil himself", and he seemed to live off making the fresh nurses cry—but Kagome still felt singled out. On her second day of work as a nurse on the front, she learned that she had broken a new record—she had been publicly humiliated a total of eight times by Dr. Kitosumo, twice more than the last newbie. Her most common mistake was not coming the _first _time the Doctor Devil, as some liked to call him, bellowed for her.

Which meant that as of now, she was officially dead.

"Yes, sir?" she said meekly, trying not to wither under Kitosumo's death glare.

"Miss Higurashi," Kitosumo slowly said, "you are a registered nurse, are you not?"

"Y-yes sir," Kagome responded, a little wary of where the conversation was going. Dr. Kitosumo had an unsettling habit of using his high intellect and abounding wit to degrade subordinates in the most clever ways.

"And what are you responsibilities, as a registered nurse?"

"To care for the wounded, administer morphine, assist doctors with operations—"

"What was that last one?"

"Assist doctors—"

"_Exactly_," he said. "Exactly. _Assist doctors. _ In my opinion, nurses are the appendix of a battlefield hospital; get me a bunch of interns from the nearest hospital and I'd be happy. You young nurses waltz out of your four years of nursing school and act like you are equal to any doctor in this building with an M.D. When I call, Miss Higurashi, I am not bellowing for you so I can ask your expert opinion on a matter; I need your assistance. I assure you that I would not strain my vocal cords to get your attention for some trivial matter. When I call, _I expect you to come that instant._" His cold gaze sent shivers of fear up her spine. "Do I make my self clear?"

"Perfectly, sir. Gomen, Doctor Kitosumo," she apologized, her eyes lowered in respect; however, on the inside she was seething.

"You are dismissed, Nurse Higurashi," said Doctor Kitosumo coolly, emphasizing her title.

"Arigato, sir." Kagome bowed slightly and hurried away. The man reminded her of a feudal lord; to bow seemed fitting.

She muttered a derogatory term under her breath as she stormed away to find Sango.

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**A bullet whizzed by his ear,** temporarily deafening him. InuYasha cursed and threw himself to the ground, pulling his half-dead companion down with him. He was thankful for the darkness as he laid in wait for the inevitable next shot. Stupid newbie probably hadn't been taught not to fire in darkness unless (1) the target was less than a yard away, (2) you were recognized as a champion sharpshooter, or (3) you were on God's good side.

InuYasha glanced down at his companion on the ground and whispered for him to stay put and not move for a few minutes; then he laughed a little at his own joke. The man couldn't move if he wanted to—both his legs were paralyzed.

The hanyou sent a quick prayer up to heaven (hey, it never hurt to have a higher force on your side) as he leapt up and sprinted through the high grass, making as much noise as he could before throwing himself to the ground again.

Just as he had predicted, the moron started to fire in his direction again, unwittingly giving away his location as the sparks from the muzzle of his gun illuminated his body for a split second.

InuYasha, his gun ready, trained his eyes on the spot where the sparks had originated and fired. He heard a soft moan, and then a _thump_. He smirked. _Never mess with this demon. _He crept back to his comrade, again slung him over his shoulders, and continued his journey into the blackness, thankful for the cover of the small forest. Was he behind enemy lines? Probably. If he was, no matter. He had most likely killed the only scout around for miles. If he wasn't under enemy lines…

Well, any soldier that careless shouldn't have been in the army in the first place.

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**"Chewed you out again,** did he?" Sango grinned. "What did you do this time?" She was rummaging through one of the many boxes heaped inside the one of the small rooms off to the side of the main area of the warehouse. A few of the rooms were used for quarantining patients with typhus or some other battlefield infection, but most were used as temporary storage rooms.

"I didn't obey the first time called," Kagome shrugged, a sparkle in her eye. "So, naturally, Mommy had to punish me."

Sango snorted, but she had a smile on her face. "Here," she said, shoving a new apron into Kagome's arms. "That should satisfy Kaede, should she decide to perform a surprise spot check."

"Thanks," Kagome said gratefully, tying the new apron around her dress. It was odd to look down and see a fresh, white apron, instead of one stained with water, blood, and disinfectant. "I should be getting back to the wounded, though."

"Yeah, you should."

"When do you have to assist Dr. Riyoko?"

"Oh, I'm probably supposed to be helping him now." Sango laughed at the look on Kagome's face. "Newbie," she teased. "Field doctors move from one operating table to the next, regardless of their surgical nurse's presence. I'm sure someone else is assisting him until I show up."

"Oh…"

Sango shot Kagome a look. "I know what you're thinking. I'm not being lazy, or incompetent; if I didn't take a break now and then, and get a total of four or five hours of sleep each night, how would I be able to function the next day? It's only your first week, you wouldn't understand yet. But by next week, you'll learn to take a five minute breather every now and then."

"Hm, and risk another lecture from the Devil Doctor?"

"He's more frightening than a mother youkai, I'll grant you that—but he can't kill you."

"If I'm still alive by the time I get transferred to another hospital, you get 20 yen; if I'm right, you have to cover my funeral expenses."

Sango snickered.

The door to the small storage room opened, and another nurse poked her head in. "Taijiya Sango?"

"Hai?" Sango stopped laughing and turned towards the red-faced nurse.

"Um, the chaplain has requested to see you."

"Me? What for?" Sango looked confused, but moved to the door anyhow.

"I don't know, he said something about last rites for one of the patients you tended…"

"Oh no, don't tell me it's that fisherman boy from the coast," exclaimed Sango, rushing out the door, leaving a forgotten Kagome behind.

Kagome sighed. _I guess I'd better get back to my job too. _ She wiped her brow and pushed her heavy hair off her neck. What she wouldn't give for a hair tie—she'd broken two already today, her thick hair never wanting to cooperate.

_This dumb heat-absorbing warehouse isn't helping any. I suppose I should be grateful that I get to work in an old abandoned warehouse that the military medical unit has designated as a hospital, instead of one of those flimsy tents… _

She pushed the sleeves of her dress up past her elbows and exited the storage room. She was glad she wasn't a surgical nurse like Sango—seeing wounded patients was quite enough for her; she didn't know how the older nurse could stand watching amputations, stitchings, or other such bloody operations.

She hurried down the set-aside hallway, heading for the door that led into the main room.

No sooner had she stepped through the doorway when an ear-splitting siren shattered the relative calm in the hospital.

"Oh no…"

_"Blackout!"_

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** "Imbeciles," Sango huffed,** carefully maneuvering around the bodies strewn across the floor—this time in the dark. "It's all well and good to have a blackout so planes can't set us as a target, but can't they at least provide us with candles? How—gomen, gomen, sir—are we nurses supposed to tend to our patients—gomen, sir!—when we can't even see where it is—crap… gomen! Forgive me—that we're going?" Sango's soliloquy was peppered with frequent apologies as she accidentally stepped on wounded soldiers.

"Stupid Military Intelligence!" she continued. "If the enemy is so close that they have to issue a blackout, they're not doing their jo— Eeee!" Sango shrieked as she felt a pair of hands close around her bottom. "That is my _rear_, baka!"

"Oh…excuse me, ma'am… it's so dark…" a male voice said.

"Th-that's all right," she stammered. "Are you a soldier? Are you wounded? You shouldn't be standing without permission!"

The man chuckled. "I am not a soldier; and neither am I wounded—so I assume I have justification for standing upright."

"Oh…of course, sir," Sango assured the man, feeling a bit flustered. If the man wasn't a patient, that meant he was a doctor—her superior—and she had just called him an idiot! "I'm sorry for exploding, Doctor…?"

"Oh, I'm not a doctor!" the man laughed. "I'm the designated chaplain for these units of the army… I'm Kazaana Miroku."

"Forgive me, Houshi." Now Sango was grateful for the cover of the darkness; imagine the embarrassment the priest must have felt when he realized that he'd unintentionally groped a woman's behind!

"You have nothing to apologize for, Nurse…" He paused. "I am assuming you are a nurse?"

"Hai. I am Taijiya Sango."

"Sango," the chaplain said softly. "What a lovely name."

"Thank you, sir."

There was a moment of silence. "Well," the priest finally said, "since there is no lighting, and it is going to be rather impossible for you to tend to these soldiers in the dark, why don't we pass the time with a bit of conversation?"

"Why not?" _What on earth are we going to talk about, though? _Sango wondered. _It's not like I have a lot in common with some old army chaplain… _

"May I ask you a question, Miss Sango?"

"Certainly, Houshi."

"Will you do me the honor of bearing my child?"

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**Kagome cursed as she** found herself in complete blackness. Fabulous. Just what she needed. The last time this happened, it had taken the aides three hours to find candles; the blackout hadn't ended for another two hours. What amazed Kagome was that the ambulance drivers and medics managed to find their way through the dark and dump _more _soldiers outside the door of the hospital; and then they expected the doctors and nurses to do something about the wounded… in total darkness. She hated to think of all the suffering men that they—the doctors and nurses—were powerless to help in a blackout.

She took a tentative step forward, her arms extended in front of her, to prevent a potential collision. Perhaps this would be the perfect opportunity for a nap. Then again, if the blackout ended while she was asleep and someone found her asleep on her shift…

She shuddered to think of how Doctor Kitosumo would react to _that. _

_Crash.___

_ Bang._

_ Thump. _

Kagome froze. She hadn't crashed into anything, and the noises had come from behind her—from the door that led outside. "Who's there?"

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**His companion seemed to grow** heavier with every step. Where was the hospital? From what he recalled, it was supposed to be somewhere in this vicinity… an old abandoned warehouse, the sentry had said…

The boy over his shoulders moaned.

"Shut up," InuYasha said, not unkindly, "I'm taking care of things. No one's gonna hurt ya."

"Ha. I'll believe that when I see it."

"Boy, I'd close my mouth about now if I were you…"

His companion snorted.

InuYasha smirked. Then his mood turned sober again. _What am I going to do with him? It's not like I can hide him from the docs in the hospital… maybe if I can sneak in a back door and wheedle some morphine and bandages out of a nurse—_

The boy on his back wheezed, obviously trying to form words. "What was that, boy?"

"L…lights…"

InuYasha strained his eyes in the direction the boy had gestured. Sure enough, a faint light could be seen. He let out a breath of relief. It could only be the hospital. "Good work, boot."

The boy grunted.

A shrill siren split the silence of the night air and the word _"blackout!" _carried across the open fields.

_Damn. _

He sprinted towards the lights, praying that he would get a little closer before someone found the power switch…

There. The lights had gone out. But he had the spot trained in his vision. The faint scent of blood reached his nose. Yep, they'd found the place, all right. His companion bounced on his back, emitting an occasional groan. "Hush up back there!" InuYasha said cheerfully, his voice no louder than a whisper. There could still be enemies lurking in the shadows. "We're almost to the hospital—you'll be fixed up and committing more immoral deeds in no time."

The boy on his back mumbled something that sounded like _"can't wait." _

A dark form drew closer in the distance. Finally, InuYasha was standing to the side of what was unquestionably the hospital. The smell of blood and sweat was nearly overpowering. He carefully laid his companion down on the ground before running his hands over the wall of the warehouse, feeling for a door.

There. A back door. Perfect.

He ran back to the boy, making sure to stomp down the grass good and hard behind him, so he could find his way back to the door. He hefted the boy back on his shoulders and proceeded toward the spot that held the door.

He shifted his weight so he could push open the heavy metal door while still keeping his hold on the boy. Praying the door wasn't locked, he drew back a leg and kicked the door with all his strength.

The door flew open with a deafening _BANG! _

He winced. So much for sneaking into the hospital unnoticed…

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** "Who's there?" Kagome** **called again. **_Why don't they answer? What if—what if it's a group of Russians? Or worse, their Italian mercenaries? _She drew in a sharp breath; she didn't have any form of weapon on her—she'd have to rely on either wit or strength for self-defense.

_Great.__ I'm dead. _

"Answer me!" she ordered with more bravado than she really had. "Unless you are authorized to be here, I demand that you leave now—or else I'll report you to—to the head general!"

"I seriously doubt that he'd care," a bored voice answered in reply.

"Who are you?"

The all-clear alarm signaled safety and Kagome started violently. A moment later the lights flickered and slowly brightened to their original state.

Kagome blinked at the scene before her. Two men stood before her—the one closet to her was tall and scowling, his long white hair tumbling well past his soldiers. Kagome gasped.

"General Taisho Sesshomaru?"

The most powerful man in all of Japan—for the time being, anyway—stared at her coldly. "And who might you be?"

"Higurashi Kagome… I'm a nurse here at the hospital… I mean in case you didn't know this was a field hospital…" She felt faint—the _General _of the Japanese Military Forces was standing right before her! And she was stammering like an idiot. "Er… aren't you supposed to have… um, security forces or—something?"

Taisho looked coolly amused. He gestured towards the short man (who oddly reminded Kagome of a toad) standing directly behind him—"This is my bodyguard, of whom I trust with my life and—" he jerked his head—"outside, most likely hiding behind every tree or rock in the vicinity, is my personal security force."

"Oh…" If this was meant to intimidate her, it was working. "Is there anything I can do for you, Mister General, sir?"

He regarded her with a closed expression. "Direct me to Doctor Kitosumo." No please was necessary, his message conveyed. The General of the Japanese forces did _not _say "please" to a lowly _nurse_.

"Hai, sir," murmured Kagome. "Follow me, please."

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**"HENTAI!"**

Sango's arm shot out on reflex and hit blindly into the darkness. Judging by the _wham _and the _crash _aftereffects, it seemed as though she'd made contact with some part of the priest. The gall! Sixty-year-old chaplain or not, he had no right to ask her such questions!

Suddenly the lights flickered and brightness returned to the room. Sango looked down and gasped. Sprawled at her feet was not some old geezer in a chaplain's uniform, but an extremely good-looking young man in purple priests' robes.

He stared dazedly up at her before his face broke into a grin. "Ah, Miss Sango, you are more beautiful than your voice portrayed you to be. Are you sure you that 'no' is your final answer?"

She glared at him, and stormed off fuming.

"Miss Sango, wait! Your patient! He—"

Sango felt him grab her arm, and she spun around, her arm poised to slap him—

The young priest deftly caught her wrist in his other hand, and gazed at her with an amused glance.

_God, those eyes… _Sango caught her breath. She was drowning in his indigo gaze…

He smiled gently, his eyes still holding hers. "Your patient. He is near death, I regret to say, and needs a comforting presence near him as he passes to the afterlife. He mentioned a young nurse named Sango, so I called for you—"

Sango cut him off. "Of course I will stay with him."

The priest beamed; you would have thought Sango had agreed to accompany him on a date. "Thank you, Miss Sango. Buddha will bless your compassionate nature."

"Buddha, eh?" she murmured, as she pulled her arm out of his grasp. "I wouldn't have thought a lecher like you would care what Buddha thinks."

"Ah, but I _am_ a monk…" His hand dropped lower.

Her eye twitched. "Forgive me, Houshi, but—" ___SLAP _"—GET YOUR PERVERTED HANDS OFF ME!"

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** "Onegai, wait here,** **sir,"** Kagome said respectfully to the general. She flicked a glance towards his aide—the man couldn't be any taller than four feet nine inches, with swarthy, dry skin, squinted eyes, and a pointed face. He reminded her of a toad. She shot a glance at the General, but quickly averted her gaze, blushing a bit. He _was_ handsome, she admitted to herself, but his demeanor was cold—_strong and silent, as the saying goes. _

She timidly knocked on the door of the storage room Dr. Kitosumo had proclaimed as his own the first day the hospital had been relocated into this storage warehouse. No one had dared protest his bold announcement—even though it was rather ridiculous that a field surgeon should receive his own _office_, it would be even more foolhardy to challenge The Doctor.

_Please, don't let him be in the middle of searching through a medical text or reading the newspaper or—God forbid—_

The door swung open. "WHAT DO YOU WANT?" roared a livid Dr. Kitosumo, his face contorted purple. "DO YOU REALIZE THAT YOU HAVE DISRUPTED AN INTENSE ROUND OF SOLITAIRE?"

Kagome flinched, and sent a pleading glance towards the General. "But sir," she began hesitantly, hoping to placate him, "you have a visitor—"

"Insolent woman! What have I told you about talking back to me?"

"Sir, the General Taisho would like to speak to you—"

"Go away! I have more important matters to deal with!" Dr. Kitosumo had pushed the door halfway shut before the General finally spoke up.

"Much as I approve of a man properly utilizing his leisure time," the General said coolly, "I request that I am allowed a moment of your time."

Dr. Kitosumo's head jerked over to where the General was standing, and his mouth formed a perfect 'O.' "General Taisho." He nodded curtly and fully opened the door, albeit grudgingly. "Come in, please."

The General glanced towards his aide and gave him a look, motioning for him to stand guard outside the door. The toad (as Kagome had begun to think of him) waddled over to the doorjamb and crossed his arms as the General swept into the storeroom with a swish of his white cape. (_White cape!_Kagome thought. _He _is_ somewhat pompous—he dresses like an old Imperial Emperor._)

Kagome watched the scene curiously, wondering what the General of the entire Japanese Army would want to talk to Dr. Kitosumo about. Perhaps the hospital was in a dangerous zone? Had the Russian army advanced farther than they had expected? Had they somehow gotten broken through the Japanese Army lines?

Suddenly nervous, Kagome felt a tremor of fear sweep through her. Despite all her teachers and trainers insisting that nurses on the front had dangerous, even deadly, jobs, and that their assignment was not to be taken lightly—but she couldn't dismiss her excitement over becoming a _real, certified _nurse. Now, however, when the enemy and guns and tanks loomed nearby— She swallowed hard.

Nonchalantly moving closer to the doorway, under the pretense of fixing her hair, she cocked her ears a bit, hoping to catch a few words through the paper-thin walls.

The toad-like aide shot her an appraising look, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Well?" he croaked. (He even _sounded_ like a toad!)

"W-well what?" Kagome shot back.

The toad's eyes narrowed. "General Taisho?" he croaked, pounding on the door. "I am _extremely_ sorry to _interrupt_ you, but—"

Kagome spun on her heel and dashed in the opposite direction. That baka toad! When the General opened the door, _she _certainly wouldn't be in sight. The hallway wrapped around the perimeter of the warehouse, so she would have plenty of room to run, should the toad decide to squeal on her…

She rounded a corner and promptly crashed into a solid form, the force of impact sending her sprawling onto the ground.

"Watch it, wench!" a masculine voice snarled. Kagome's head snapped up—

And her jaw dropped.

So did the man's. _"Kikyo?_ What the—how in the seven hells did you—"

"Huh? Listen, mister, you've got the wrong person; I'm Higurashi Kagome."

"Nice name; who'd you steal it from this time?" He dropped down beside her and frowned darkly at her. "Good make-up job…but not good enough. You still look enough like yourself that someone could identify you." He grinned at her. _Gods, that smile was disconcerting! _ "You're slipping. Is it because Teacher is no longer there to tell you how to do everything?"

Kagome was becoming annoyed. He'd carried this charade long enough. "Look, buddy, I don't know who this Kikyo person is, but I'm not her."

"Very funny. I'd laugh, except this is no laughing matter." He grasped her shoulders tightly and stared straight into her eyes. "Tell me truthfully: how—" he broke off suddenly, his nose twitching. His eyes grew wide and he shoved away from her. "What the—! You're _not _Kikyo!"

"Ho, aren't we quick?" She stood and brushed herself off. "Now that we've established that fact… what are you doing here in the hospital?"

He didn't answer. He just stared at her, his face focused, as if he was trying to work out an extremely complicated calculus problem. "Amazing," he murmured.

"What?"

He shot her a quick look, and then shook his head. "Answer this question for me at least," he demanded, his gold—_gold!_—eyes meeting hers, "are you a nurse?"

"Hai—"

"Could you possibly get me some bandages and disinfectant—avoiding any questions?"

"Hai, but—"

"Good. I need enough to—well, to fix him." He gestured to a soldier that was draped across his shoulders.

"How badly is he wounded?" Kagome asked, her nursing instincts kicking in.

"Several hits in the abdomen, legs completely gave out—think that had something to do with that fall down the trench—minor concussion to the head, I think…"

"Why don't you admit him into the general ward? If he isn't in dire need of operation, I could get someone to take care of him—"

"Why can't you take care of him?"

"Well—I could—I mean, I will but… right here?"

"Of course not, baka," the man scoffed, his face twisting into a smirk. "An isolated room would be preferred—got any closets around here?"

"Closets?"

"Yeah, you know, those little rooms that store brooms and stuff…"

Kagome glared at the man. "In case you haven't noticed, this is an old warehouse, not a state-of-the-art hospital—all the tiny storage rooms are packed to the brim with supplies, old medical records, rags, uniforms—basically a lot of junk. And besides, the head doctor would have my head if I went against procedure—"

"You think I give a darn about procedure?" The man glared at her. "Fine. If you won't help me, I'll go find a room myself."

"No, wait!" If Kitosumo found out that she'd let an unknown civilian wonder about the hospital, he'd have her hide. It would be better to aid the man and think up some excuse to satisfy the Devil Doctor later. "I'll find a room you can use," she sighed.

He smiled triumphantly. "Smart woman." He picked up his friend and slung him over his shoulders. "Lead the way."

"What happened to the 'thank you'?" she muttered under his breath. "If it wasn't for that wounded man you have there, you would be back out in the cold right now… speaking of which, why do you have that sock mask over his head? He could suffocate like that, you know." She glared at the white-haired man and moved to take off his companion's mask.

"No, _wait_!" the man lunged for her hand, but she'd already pulled the mask off. She gasped, and the face mask slipped out of her hand, falling limply on the floor.

"Stupid wench," the white-haired man breathed.

She jerked her head up and stared into his golden eyes, her gaze accusing. "Why, sir," she asked in a level tone, "are you harboring an enemy soldier?"

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Well? What do you think? Review please!


	2. Speculation

**A/N: ** I feel like a chipmunk… wisdom teeth removals are NOT fun…. Sorry for the delay, got back from the marching band trip on Tuesday, spent the rest of the day sleeping, got my wisdom teeth out Wednesday… and then the rest of the week I spent sleeping, writing, eating ice cream, and watching movies…. I really should have been doing my homework, but I decided to update for you all.  --   Eh… disregard all mistakes… or feel free to point them out.  I apologize in advance for them… if I didn't this chapter wouldn't be posted for another week.    So enjoy, all right?   Later!

**Disclaimer:  **still don't own Inuyasha… never will own Inuyasha…

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**Charade**

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**Chapter Two: SPECULATION   **

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     **Doctor Kitosumo Hiten shifted** uncomfortably in the stiff, scratchy chair, as he waited for General Taisho Sesshomaru to speak.  The tall, white-haired man with that odd crescent-moon on his forehead hadn't uttered a word since he'd entered Kitosumo's "office"—all he'd done was silently appraise the room and fix a steady gaze on Hiten, as if measuring the worth of the doctor.  Hiten liked it better when the General was studying the room.

     After another three minutes had passed, Hiten blurted, "Well?"

     Taisho looked amused.  "Well what?"

     "I know you did not come to call on me just to waste your precious time, Sesshomaru," Hiten stated flatly.  "You don't fool me—a man of your _status _does not grace lowly war medics with his presence unless there is an extremely grave matter to discuss."

     "Indeed?"

     "Yes."

     There was a pregnant pause before Taisho nodded slightly.  "Good.  I see you are still as sharp as ever.  And you still do not take any monkey business from anyone—such as that pretty young nurse."

     Hiten reddened a bit.  "Oh, her?" he mumbled uncomfortably.  "That's just Higurashi; she's a newbie nurse.  Doesn't know anything about nursing or war—very impressionable."

     "So I gathered.  And you have drilled it into her head that she is nothing, compared to you, O Great Healer?"

     "Well, I—"

     "You're so predictable, Hiten.  It's good to know there are a few men in this world that will never change," he added cryptically.

     "Pardon?"

     Sesshomaru fixed a level gaze on Hiten.  "I am assuming that you have heard the rumors?"

     "About your brother?" Hiten said eagerly, then quickly amended his words after Sesshomaru's glare shot daggers.  "I mean—half brother?"

     "Yes.  About InuYasha.  How much have you heard?"

     "A variety of tales," Hiten shrugged.  "The most common one is that after learning of Kikyo's betrayal, he sold himself to the enemy.  Some even believe he's in league with—" Hiten lowered his voice to a whisper—"_Naraku_."

     "Indeed?"

     "Yes, but—is it true?  Is he really employed by Naraku now?  Is it to avenge himself, or simply destroy Kikyo?"

     "Seeing as my half-brother regards himself as invincible, I wouldn't put it past him...but seriously doubt that he would find any woman worth destroying; he may have been hurt by Kikyo, but I am almost certain that he has moved on by now.  He wouldn't admit to anyone that a woman affected him in such a way."

     Hiten nodded earnestly.  "So?" he prompted.  "Do you think he _is _working for Naraku?"

"I don't know.  Those who could possibly know have disappeared—either changed identities or gone into hiding.  But we do know one thing—InuYasha wouldn't join up with Naraku unless there is some benefit for himself.  Which means that Naraku is either gaining power, or is close to achieving his goals.  That is—_if _InuYasha is involved with the Black Mask."

     "I thought we had established that as nearly valid."

     "We cannot afford to assume anything.  Yet, in light of recent circumstances, I am leaning towards taking, shall we say, a more liberal point of view?"

     "What recent circumstances?" Hiten stared at the General blankly.  "You mean the bombing of the feudal ruins of the country?"

     Sesshomaru closed his eyes in wariness for a moment.  "My dear Hiten, you _are_ out of the loop."

     "I have been working like a dog these past few weeks," Kitosumo protested, "ever since the intensity of the battles have increased.  Not to mention that the normal contact hasn't bothered to show in nearly four weeks—"

     "Use a few of your scarce brain cells, Kitosumo," snapped Sesshomaru.  "Did it ever occur to you that perhaps the reason your contact hasn't shown in so long would be because he _couldn't _contact you?"

     "What's stopping him?  Is the city no longer safe?  Did someone tip him off about a collaborator in the hospital?"  Kitosumo frowned.  "That one doctor, Hyonoki, seems rather suspicious… he disappears for a time, then reappears like that.  Do you think—?"

     "Fool!" Sesshomaru rose from his chair.  "I don't know why I bother with you, other than the fact that your position is so convenient.  Your contact hasn't been in touch with your in over four weeks because he's _missing_."

     . . . . .

     "Missing?"

     "Yes, _missing_; most likely dead.  Three others of our own have disappeared in the past month—two have turned up dead, both in feudal ruins."

     "What can this mean?"

     "Naraku is becoming more bold, obviously.  He's gaining power."

     "But what does this have to do with your brother?  I mean, half-brother?"

     "My half-brother," Sesshomaru said slowly, "was in the vicinity of all the places were our men were allegedly killed.  Too close for it to be considered a coincidence."

     "But—it's not InuYasha's style to be used as a hit-man.  Too degrading, he would think."

     "Naturally that's exactly what he would _want _us to think." Sesshomaru shook his silk white bangs out of his eyes.  "Of course, this is all speculation.  We have no proof that he is one of Naraku's goons."

     "Do we ever have proof of anything?"

     "Point taken."  Sesshomaru stepped towards the door.  "Do what you deem necessary.  I have other matters to deal with now—I will see that you are contacted in the next seven days."

     "Arigato, General."

     "You should return to your patients—I wouldn't want you to be the object of suspicion."  His eyes traveled toward the small table where several rows of playing cards lay.  "Then again…" 

     Hiten at least had the good grace to look embarrassed.

     The General tapped lightly on the door, which opened momentarily.  _Must be the toad_, Hiten thought as the pale General disappeared through the doorjamb.  _InuYasha__…I wonder where the dog is now? _

.

.

.

     **Kagome jerked her head up** and stared into his golden eyes, her gaze accusing.  "Why, sir," she asked in a level tone, "are you harboring an enemy soldier?"

     Before she knew what was happening, she was pushed up against the wall, her hands behind her back, with a knife at the base of her neck.  She gasped as she felt the cold blade touch her skin.  "I don't have to explain anything to you," the man whispered menacingly.  "I have my reasons for my actions.  Now, this soldier needs care—can I trust you not to talk?"

     "Are you one of them?"

     The knife pressed harder against her neck.  A little more pressure and it would break open the skin— _I won't talk_, her mind promised, but her mouth blurted, "Who are you?"

     The man laughed, a sensation that sent shivers up her spine.  Good or bad shivers—she didn't take the time to decipher.  "I'm not someone to mess with.  Let's leave it at that." 

     She could almost feel him smirking.  "Just whose side are you on, anyway?"

     "That's pretty bold, considering I could kill you in a split second.  That spunk is going to get you in trouble someday."

     "It already has—or what is your definition of a knife at my throat?"

     "A warning."  The coldness of the blade suddenly receded and Kagome felt herself being turned around to face the man with golden eyes.  He stared into her own brown ones, his gaze probing.  "Can I trust you not to talk?" he repeated.

     "You make it sound like I have a choice," she said nervously, glancing at the knife that had disappeared back into his boot.

     He laughed shortly.  "You're right.  You don't.  Now—about that storeroom…"

     She swallowed.  "Follow me please."

.

.

.

     **Jaken**** slammed into the back** of his master as the latter stopped in mid-stride.  "Sesshomaru-sama?" he inquired.  "What is the matter?" 

     The General's brow was furrowed in concentration.  His head was inclined slightly, his nostrils flaring every so often, as if he was sniffing the air.  His eyes narrowed; then his face broke out into a twisted smile.  "It seems," he said, "that my younger brother is at the moment in this very hospital."

     "InuYasha?" Jaken squeaked, frantically looking around.  "That half-breed?  How dare he show his face in your presence!"

     "Indeed," Sesshomaru said ironically. 

     "Go get him, Sesshomaru-sama!  He will be easy to catch, unsuspecting as he is!  Surely if he is stupid enough to appear in a field hospital—"

     "Silence, toad."  He tilted his head to the side, contemplating.  "What do you say we leave Kitosumo a little test, Jaken?  Let us see if Hiten is as observant as he boasts." He shrugged.  "And, if Kitosumo fails to notice that one of Naraku's spies is under his nose, there are other ways of trapping my half-brother."

     "An excellent idea, master!" exclaimed Jaken.  "It is no wonder that you were promoted to General!"

     Sesshomaru gave Jaken a slanted look that made the toad wither.  "You can hold the flattery, Jaken.  If I wanted flowery praise, I would parade myself in front of the streets of Tokyo."

     "Yes, of course, Sesshomaru-sama!"

     Sesshomaru moved towards the back door.  "Mind you watch your steps, little brother," he murmured.  "Because I, Sesshomaru, am onto your scheme."

.

.

. 

**     "In here," Kagome whispered,** cracking open the door.  "How's this?"

     "Fine."  The white-haired man pushed open the door and shoved Kagome in before him.  He quickly scanned the room, his gold eyes missing nothing.  Apparently satisfied that nothing was going to jump out at him, he shut the door resolutely and unceremoniously dumped his companion on the floor.

    "Fix him," he commanded.

    Kagome stared at the man as if he was a raving lunatic.  "Excuse me?"

    "Fix him," he repeated, giving her one of those smirks again.

    Kagome felt her face burn.  Why was she blushing?  _Because this man is as hot as_— _Gah__!  You don't want to finish that thought.  He's helping the enemy, remember?  Who cares if he's handsome… he held a knife to your throat!  _

     "Fix him," Kagome recited softly to herself.  "And I thought there wasn't a soul on this earth who could give worse orders than Kitosumo.  Just WHAT do you expect me to 'fix' him with?"

     He rolled his eyes.  "_You're_ the nurse.  You tell me."

     _Gahh__… _  "Fine," Kagome huffed.  "I'll take a look at him and see what I can do.  But I can't promise surgery or anything—as far as I know, no one's been in this storeroom since these boxes were dumped in here, but still; we have to assume that anyone could burst into here at any given time."  Which would be unfortunate, seeing as there was no place to hide.  The room was little bigger than a broom closet—the white-haired man's soldier friend was laying on the ground, squeezed in-between two rows of boxes filled with medical charts.  The white-haired man was sitting cross-legged on top of a stack of boxes, his khaki army fatigues blending in quite well with the contents of the room.  (A/N: sorry, I don't know what Japanese military uniforms look like… in this story they'll be a khaki color, ok?)

     "Whatever, wench," the man said, looking bored.  "Just fix my friend up, will you?"

     "Friend?" she repeated stonily, though she kneeled next to the soldier on the floor just the same. 

     The man gave her a slanted look.  "Yes, friend—in a sense.  Why do you ask?"

     "Obviously you have no scruples about consorting with the enemy," said Kagome as she checked the man for his injuries.  Automatically she ran through the list in her head.  _Few broken ribs; several shots to the abdomen;  legs temporarily paralyzed… oh yeah, he fell down a trench…ouch; broken arm; nasty gash on the head, but pupils aren't dilated, good that means no internal swelling of the brain—at least he'll live. _ At that last thought, she hesitated.  Did she care if he lived?  He was the enemy after all… the scar on his face was proof of that fact.  She traced the lines of the Cyrillic symbol cut into the man's cheek.  The symbol was rumored to mean "soldier" or "mercenary"—she couldn't remember which.  It was a ritual in the Russian army to carve the symbol into their soldiers cheeks in boot camp; the symbol made it easier for the Russians during battle.  There was rarely any friendly fire in the Russian army.  Of course, the chances of being captured were much greater (General Taisho Sesshomaru had once said that capturing Russians was much like rounding up branded cattle), but the entire war strategy of the Russian army was to keep as many men from being captured, then merely overrun the enemy with a tidal wave of soldiers.  They'd used the same tactics for centuries—and unfortunately, they still worked.

     Then again, there was always the chance that this man was simply masquerading as a Russian; but chances of that were slim.  Even spies rarely undertook in the Russian ritual—being branded a Russian soldier for life was a rather precarious position.

     She was jolted out of her thoughts when the white-haired man spoke again.

     "So your definition of an enemy is whoever the government declares is an evil, immoral country for whatever reason they can conjure?"

     "I take it you're not a big fan of the present government."

     "Whatever gave you that idea?  I said that most people base who their friends and enemies are on what the government says.  Don't go putting words into my mouth."

     She shot him a look.  "Who _are _you?"

     He didn't answer; he stoically watched her bandage his friend's head.

     "Well?"

     "Well what?"

     "Are you going to answer my question?"

     "No."

     _Won't give me his name—there's a bad sign. _ "Why not?"

     "You don't have any reason to know it."

     "I'm probably saving your friend's life right now—does that not count as a reason to know your name?"

     "Feh.  That's a reason for _him _to know _your _name," he grunted, his gold eyes laughing at her.  "So.  Tell my friend your name, Miss Higurashi, so he can hold the name of his savior close to his heart for all of posterity."

     She started, and shot the white-haired man a wide-eyed look.  "H-how did you know my name?"

     "You told me.  Or is your memory as bad as Kikyo's?"  He smirked in what seemed to be his normal fashion.

     "Who is this Kikyo person?"

     His eyes narrowed.  "Better not pry to deep, wench, you'll end up with more than you bargained for."

     Kagome ignored his veiled threat.  "She looks like me?"

     "Uncannily."

     "Think she's my long-lost twin or something?"

     He barked out a laugh.  "_You_?  Her long-lost twin?  Don't make me laugh."

     "Is it so impossible?  I am adopted, you know."

     "I don't care if you're the Emperor's illegitimate heir; you're not related to Kikyo." His face grew thoughtful and he muttered something under his breath.

     "What was that?"

     "Nothing.  You almost done there?"

     "Almost.  You wouldn't happen to have a splint on you, by chance?"

     "What do I look like, a walking pharmacy?"

     "It never hurts to ask."  She sat back on her heels and regarded the soldier lying before her.  He wasn't unconscious, but he looked like he was in a deep sleep.  "That bone needs to be set; otherwise I it won't ever heal properly."

     "So what do you need to set it?" 

     Kagome jumped.  The man had just appeared at her side in a split second.  How had he jumped off his perch so quickly?  "A split would be preferred, but two flat planks of wood would do, if nothing else."

     "And where am I supposed to find two flat planks of wood?"

     She shrugged.  "Scrounge around this room and see if you can find something—if worse comes to worse I can always use cardboard."

     "Feh."  Despite his indifferent response, the man began to search around the room.  Kagome watched him out of the corner of her eyes as she used her apron (_sigh_) to bind the man's abdomen.  She would have preferred to clean the wounds out with antiseptic first, but that would entail sneaking some from the main supply room.  "Dang," she muttered. 

     "How's this?"  The white-haired man triumphantly held up two broken pieces of wood—they were uneven lengths, but no matter. 

     "Perfect!" Kagome said, rather surprised.  "Where'd you find them?"

     "Over here by the windowsill… probably was part of the windowsill at one point…"  He dropped the wood into her lap and dropped down on the ground next to her, sitting in Indian-style again.  "Are you almost done?"

     "Do you want your friend to live?"

     He grunted, and stretched out on his back, closing his eyes.

     Kagome stared at him.  "What are you doing?"

     "Resting."  He didn't open his eyes.

     "At a time like this?"

     "If anyone comes, I'll tell ya."

     "So now you're the omniscient being?"

     He smirked, finally opening his eyes, the gold meeting mahogany.  "If that's how you want to think of me…" 

     Kagome blushed.  "I didn't mean it like _that_—"

     "Just fix him up, wench—I don't have much time."

     _That's gratitude for you!  _"Considering that your friend's life now rests in my hands, I wouldn't speak so easily."

     "I'm not worried.  You won't hurt him."

     "So now you're the expert on my persona?" Kagome said, becoming rather irritated. 

     "Just an excellent judge of character."

     "No false humility there."

     "I pride myself in being brutally honest."

     "What are you, some kind of perverted lawyer?"

     He sent her a measured look.  "You know, being so open with your opinions can get you into serious trouble…"

     "Thanks for the warning."  She wrapped the last bit of cloth around the two pieces of wood that flanked the Russian's arm and leaned back to studied her work.  "Well it isn't the neatest splint—but it'll do."

     The white-haired man sprang up from his position and landed next to the Russian.  "How long before he comes to?"

     Kagome shrugged.  "An hour or two?  It's hard to tell."

     "Good enough."  The white-haired man pulled the Russian over his shoulders again and leapt over to window.  He paused and turned back to face Kagome.  "Oh—you're free to leave now."

     "Whatever happened to the 'thank you'?" Kagome grumbled.

     The man just laughed and bounded out the window in one flying leap.  "See ya round, wench!"   

     Kagome gaped at the window, open-mouthed.  _Who—or should I say WHAT—was that guy?!  _A few more minutes of muddled thinking only resulted in a headache.  "Guess I should get back to my patients now…"  Her eyes flew open.  "Oh crap—"

     A resounding _"HIGURASHI!!" _echoed down the corridors of the warehouse.

.

.

.

     **As InuYasha sprinted away** from the hospital, his companion on his back, his thoughts wandered back to the nurse.  Higurashi Kagome she'd said her name was—the Kikyo look-alike.  Their similarity in appearances was nothing short of divine providence, the way he saw it.  She could be useful…very useful.

     On his back, Speedy groaned.  InuYasha's thoughts came crashing back to reality—to where he was, what he had to accomplish… his plans for the wench would have to wait.  "You all right back there, Speedy?"

     He received a grunt in reply.  Well.  Looks like Kikyo's twin was a bit off in her prognosis—it had taken much less than an hour for Speedy to come to.

     Then again, being one-sixteenth demon could have affected his recovery time…

     As he leaped through the grass, careful to make as little noise as possible, InuYasha briefly wondered what Speedy's real name was.  In his business, birth names were rarely used, almost to the point of being completely forgotten.  Speedy's actual call sign was _Speedy Gonzales_, but no one bothered to tack on the second name.  The Russian had been given the little Mexican cartoon mouse's name after their first skirmish with The Enemy.  His buddies had been considering _Tortoise _at first, because he was always lagging behind the rest of the group on patrols—but at the first crack of a gunshot (which had turned out to be Ghandi stepping on a piece of dry wood) he'd shot ahead of the group at the speed of lightning. 

     InuYasha liked the kid, though.  Speedy was the youngest of the group—small and scraggly, too—but by no means useless.  The kid was a freakin' genius; ; if he wasn't in the middle of a war, InuYasha would bet the kid would be the head of some bigwig cooperation, or maybe in the Japanese Intelligence.  The kid didn't hate the government as a much as some did; and, after all, money was money. 

     InuYasha stopped short and cocked his ears, listening intently.  The wind gently stirred the few trees on the grassy plain.  Nothing.  He was almost to the forest, anyhow.  He sniffed quickly, making sure he was still on the right track.  Yup.  He could smell that stupid wolf's scent miles away…

     He covered the few remaining miles in less than a minute.  Under the safe cover of the woods, he didn't bother to keep quiet.  The normal rules of war didn't apply here—the few partisans he did encounter he could dispose of with his "Claws of Blood."  The enemy never knew what hit them.  Being hanyou had its perks.

     He followed the scent until he reached the cave his group had designated as one of the meeting places.  Not a very original idea, but it served its purpose well.  He pushed through the last bit of scrub and emerged into the small clearing. 

     "Who goes there?" the guard asked, barely covering a yawn. 

     "Don't sound so dead, Pocahontas, if the enemy came, they might take it upon themselves to finish you off."  InuYasha shifted Speedy on his back and pulled aside the long branches of the weeping willow that blocked the entrance of the cave.  (A/N: don't worry, I'll explain the "Pocahontas" nickname later.  Yes, he is male; no, the feminine name is not symbolic.)

     "Would that I were so lucky," the wolf demon with the white mohawk said, yawning again.  "It's been my watch for the past three nights and nothing as happened.  It's as dead as a tomb around here."

     "Tough luck, man."  InuYasha punched Pocahontas's shoulder in sympathy, and then entered the cave.  There was a small fire in one corner of the fairly roomy rock cavern.  Five youkai were sitting near it, playing a rather peaceful game of cards.

     "The brave warrior has returned!" Kouga said, leering from his place on the floor..  "But what happened to your responsibility, Dog Turd?  Did you flub this assignment as well?"

     "Sorry to disappoint you," growled InuYasha, "but my assignment went as planned—not a single hitch, save Speedy getting himself shot up.  Had to make a detour at a field hospital."

     Kouga snorted and threw his cards to another player.  "Here.  I'm done for the night."  He stood and turned to InuYasha.  "There's leftovers from tonight's meal on the fire.  Go choke yourself to death."  He strolled out of the cave.

     "Thanks, I'll be sure and gag on your hospitality," InuYasha called after him.  He kneeled down and let Speedy slide to the ground.  "Watch over the kid, will you?" he asked of the four youkai.  "I need to get some fresh air.  The smell of that antiseptic crud that nurse used on him is making me dizzy."

     He exited the cave and breathed in the smell of fresh air.  Ah.  This is what he missed most on his assignments: air not tainted by blood, gunpowder, sulfur, or all those other nauseating smells that war produced.  He found a strong, stable tree and leapt onto one of the branches, making himself comfortable.  He closed his eyes, enjoying the silence.  Unconsciously, his thoughts wandered back to that nurse.  _Maybe I can take another detour back there—if I can persuade her to help me, then nothing's stopping me from—_

     "Yo, Dog Turd."

     InuYasha groaned.  "What do you want, Wolf?"

     "What _really _happened over your assignment?"

     "Nothing.  Went exactly as planned."

     "Uh-huh.  Right.  Spill the beans, Dog Turd, or I'll make sure a certain someone knows you flubbed the job."

     "Do as you like; you won't find anything on me."

     Kouga was silent.  InuYasha glanced down to find him leaning against the base of the tree, staring up at InuYasha with those blue eyes that made the dames fall all over him. 

     _Stupid wolf._ "Fine."  InuYasha knew he may as well tell all.  He'd known Kouga since they were schoolboys, and no matter how much the two hated each other, there were no secrets between the two of them.  "Speedy and I met up in a small village somewhere near the Pacific coast.  He was returning from his bout in the Russian army, I from mine in the Japanese forces.  We both got the information we wanted, and both had gotten it safely to the head.  So, we decide to travel back together.  Two heads are better than one, right?"

     Kouga guffawed.  "Morons.  You actually traveled side by side?"

     "Of course not, idiot.  We kept at least a two mile distance between us—met up at nights.  Then one night, Speedy didn't show up.  Turns out, he ran into some Russian scouts, and the scar on his cheek hadn't quite faded…" 

     Kouga burst out laughing.

     "Give him some slack," InuYasha said, barely restraining his own chuckles.  "He's only one-sixteenth demon."

     "So?  What happened to him?"

     "They thought he was a deserter and forced him back into the service, this time watching him like a hawk.  Took me three days of hanging around his camp till I could finally snag him during a skirmish.  Only, he'd actually gotten _wounded_ during the battle…" 

     A fresh round of laughter sounded from Kouga. 

     "I had to get him some kind of care before we moved on, or else he'd get sick and I'd have to hide out for a couple of days before he recovered.  So I made a detour into a hospital, snagged a nurse, got him cleaned up, and cleared out of there."  He paused, wondering whether he should mention Sesshomaru's presence in that very hospital… _Nah.__  Best to keep quiet.  Less you tell that wolf, the less regrets you'll have. _

     "And then?"

     "I carried him on my back and got here by nightfall, hoping someone would be here.  And we all lived happily every after.  The End."

      Kouga was quiet for a minute.  "How's the war progressing?  I haven't been out on an assignment since my last visit to Tokyo."

     InuYasha growled, "We've got a bunch of freakin' bakas running this war.  It's a mess.  Two years of fighting and you'd think we'd have gotten somewhere.  But both governments are in favor of continuing fighting, even though are armies are almost exhausted, and absolutely _nothing _has been gained.  No one has Manchuria—and the railroads are basically demolished by now, so whoever gets the land will have to spend a millions more dollars just to rebuild it.  It's imbecilic." 

     "Well, that's what we're here for, right?" Kouga said in an uncharacteristically gentle tone.  "To change the way the wind is blowing and actually get something _done._"

     "For better or for worse?"

     "Doesn't matter—at least we're doing _something_."

     "For ourselves," InuYasha said quietly.

     "What's up with this attitude?  Have you suddenly discovered a conscience?"

     "Never," InuYasha said sharply.  "Don't worry about me.  It's just—uh…"

     "The full moon?"

     "Sure."

     Kouga laughed.  "By the way… did you by chance happen to see a certain female?"

     "You mean Ayame?"

     "Shut up!" Kouga hissed.  "Don't speak her name so carelessly!"

     "Why not?  It'll be changed by next week."

     "Er… well…"

     InuYasha cocked a brow at Kouga's stammerings.  "Well?"

    "It's her real name, okay?  Happy now, Dog Turd?"

     InuYasha jumped down from the tree and faced Kouga, who was quite intent on studying the ground.  "She's a civilian?" InuYasha said, barely suppressing a grin.

     "Sort of," Kouga mumbled.

     "Ha!  Does she know what you are?  _Who_ you are?"

     "Uh…well…"

     InuYasha burst out laughing.  "Good going, Wolf!  What're you going to tell her when she wants to get married?  When she tells you she's pregnant and wants you to hang around and raise the kid?"

     "Shut up, Dog Turd!  I haven't been sleeping with her!"  Kouga's face was beet red; InuYasha snickered at the sight.  Kouga blushing.  Now there was an extraordinary occurrence—this would make good blackmail.

     Still laughing, InuYasha left the wolf to his own thoughts and leapt back up the tree, settling more comfortably in its branches.  Speedy would be all right for himself for one night, he thought as his eyes grew heavy.  If the one thing he missed during war was clean air, sleep was second on the list…

.

.

.

**     "Here, Kagome, I got you _another _apron,"** Sango announced, a grin on her face.  "See that you don't give this one away for at least six hours."

     "Arigato," Kagome mumbled in thanks, tying the new apron around her waist.  She grasped the mop that she'd balanced against the wall and resumed her cleaning.

     Sango giggled.  "In detention, Kagome?"

     Kagome rolled her eyes.  "Apparently Dr. Kitosumo was searching for me for over half and hour and called my name no less than seven times before I finally appeared.  To say he was ticked is like saying cats enjoy swimming."

     "My cat enjoys swimming," Sango protested.

     "Really?  Maybe she and Buyo should mate—imagine the kittens they'd have: the weirdest felines on the face of this planet."

     Sango seemed to find the idea of her cat and Buyo mating quite amusing, for some reason.  Kagome wasn't sure she wanted to know why. 

"Why did Kitosumo want to see you so badly?" Sango asked.  "Normally he would have given up closer to the third try."

     "He wanted me to assist him during some sort of complicated operation, just in case I had to do it someday—said it was something all newbie nurses should learn."  She shrugged.  "I dunno."

     "And what were you doing that had you so mesmerized that you didn't answer him until the eighth call?"

     "I was not _mesmerized_—" Kagome said, blushing.

     Sango raised an eyebrow, a slow grin creeping over her features.  "Uh-oh, I smell trouble," she teased.  "Who is he, Kagome?"

"Who is who?" she replied, her gaze focusing on the mop which she was now furiously pushing.  _Stupid blush!  _

     "Your boyfriend…lover…fiancé…whatever relationship he has to you.  Who is he?"

     "No one," stammered Kagome.  "I mean, he wasn't anyone I _knew_—"

     "A secret admirer?  Secret crush?  Come on, Kagome, spill all!"

     "Well..."  _He did say not to tell anyone. . . .  but then again, what's the harm?  I don't even know his name. . . . and it's not like I'll ever see him again. . . . . _ "All right, I'll tell you," she finally whispered.  "But you can't tell _anyone_."

     "Okay."

     "And this is not the high school definition of 'don't tell anyone,' which basically translates to: 'don't tell anyone accept your two best friends, a casual dropped hint to another, and every gory detail to your boyfriend, his best friend, and his former girlfriend.'"

     "Cross my heart and hope to die—" Sango started, a silly grin on her face.

     Kagome sighed.  "All right.  Where to start?  The lights go out; I hear a door slam; I panic, thinking it's a bunch of Russians or Italians or something; turns out to be—"  She paused.  Should she tell Sango about the General visiting?  What if it was a top secret visit or something?  _Come on, Kagome, this isn't some spy movie.  If it was top secret, do you think he would have involved you?  _"—General Taisho Sesshomaru."

     "_General Taisho?  _At our hospital?  What on earth could he have wanted?"

"Dunno," Kagome shrugged.  "He talked to Kitosumo for a while—"

     "Whaaaat?  The Devil Doctor?  What did he—" Sango gasped.  "Oh my god… was Kitosumo _fired?_"

     "I hadn't even thought of that… unfortunately, no, he wasn't."  Kagome giggled at the dismayed expression on Sango's face.  "Sorry to disappoint you."  Kagome quickly gave her the run down of the following events, purposely emitting the details that the man she'd treated was Russian, or that the white-haired man had held her at a knife-point…

     "Odd man," Sango said.  "Why couldn't he have just dropped his companion off in the common ward?"

     "Maybe he wanted to avoid the wait—he did seem in an awful big hurry."  This, at least, was the truth.

"Possibly.  You never know what kind of weirdos you're going to run into in a place like this."  Sango sighed.  "Well... back to the old grind.  I'm assisting at least ten amputations today… and I'm practically doing the amputation myself with some of these morons that call themselves doctors.  I swear they must have gotten through medical school on bribes alone.  I don't see why I shouldn't be a qualified surgeon when this war is over."

     "Because then you'd have to endure who knows what kind of crap from grumpy nurses?"

     Sango shot Kagome a look.  "Very funny…"

.

.

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**     "He's here!"**

     The muffled shout jolted InuYasha out of his stupor state of sleep.  "Hn?"

     "The contact!  Straight from the top—he's come with news!"  Kouga's voiced betrayed his excitement.

     "About time," InuYasha muttered under his breath, stretching slightly.  He glanced around the cave and noticed that Pocohantas and Red had left, and another man he didn't know was now joking with Speedy and the others.  "Pochoantas and Red on assignment?"

     Kouga nodded.   "Last night.  I'm leaving after I hear the news as well."

     "Lucky you," InuYasha muttered.

     Kouga gave him a kick in the leg.  "I won't be missing you, Dog Turd."

     "Please don't ever start.  I'm praying that next time we won't cross paths."  InuYasha's stomach growled.  "How long has it been since I've eaten?"

     "You've been asleep for two days—so you haven't eaten in two days.  Cutting sleep again on the last assignment, huh?"

      "You could say that."  InuYasha jumped to his feet.  "Got any food around here?"

      "Scrounge around for some.  I'm going outside to meet the contact."  He turned and ran outside, literally disappearing.

     _Wish he wouldn't do that all the time. _ InuYasha strolled over to the spit on the fire and snagged a bit of meat off it.  "What is this?" he asked nobody in particular.

     "You don't want to know," one of the men called.

     "Thanks for the warning."  He bit off a chunk, chewed, and swallowed.  "Eatable at least.  Anyone got any ramen?"

     Speedy started to drool from his place on the floor.  "Ramen…"

     InuYasha finished the leg of meat and plopped down on the floor next to Speedy.  "How ya feelin'?"

     "Not terrible.  These nannies keep insisting that I lie down and nap, but if I'm not up and walking by tomorrow, someone's going to be hurtin'."

     "That's the spirit," InuYasha grinned. 

     "Hello, all you thugs," a voice boomed from the mouth of the cave.  "Ready for your business briefing?  Although, I'm sorry to say, I forgot the complimentary coffee and doughnuts."

     Moans and groans filled the cave as the men played along with the contact's game.  "We'll let you slide this time, Rocky," one of the men called.  "But next time…"

     Rocky, a six-foot-eight leopard demon, grinned wickedly and sauntered over to Kouga, slapping him on the back.  "It's been awhile, Wolf Breath."

     "Not long enough," Kouga murmured under his breath. 

     Rocky leaned against the wall of the cave, so that he was facing the group of youkai, and continued to greet each one.  When finished, the mood turned sober again.

     "From our contact that is currently working within the Enemy's forces, we now have a more specific idea of what their main plan of attack is," he started. "Their recent movements all but spell out a coup.  The intimidation by assassinations and murders, the slow but steady gain of power... it can be assumed that when the Enemy becomes strong enough, they will perform a coup of some sort, and then take advantage of the following anarchy to install their own members as high government officials.  The idea is that they will gain favor from Japanese citizens by creating a new government _after _civilians get sick and tired of anarchy—it'll make them look like heroes… supposedly."

     _Scumbags_, InuYasha thought darkly.

     "Is this certain?" Speedy asked from his place on the floor.  "Because from what Hanyou and I have seen, their movements don't support this theory."

     "Excuse me?" Rocky arched an eyebrow and glanced at InuYasha out of the corner of his eye.  "Care to explain, Speedy?"

     _Yes, Speedy, care to explain?  _The kid was too smart for his own good—where was he going with this?  And more importantly, why was he dragging InuYasha into his theory?

     "With all due respect, sir," said Speedy, "think about it.  The murders, the threats… it doesn't add up to an ordinary coup.  I think they're aiming for something with a bigger show of _force_."

     There was silence in the cave.  InuYasha smirked at the blank looks on some of his companion's faces.  He doubted most of the youkai in the cave had more than an eighth-grade education—sometimes he wondered if they knew anything about the politics that were involved in their missions.  Most were just in the gang for the "glorification of the taiyoukai race."

     "I mean," Speedy hurriedly went on, "we know they're gaining support.  Wouldn't it be safe to assume that their army is increasing as well?  In the time of war, a show of force would be more effective than a simple coup, and then take power _after _anarchy sets in?  That's too chancy.  The previous government could gain back power by some magical force, or another party could gain favor quicker… it's too risky."

     "Just what are you suggesting?" Rocky said, frowning.  "They're going to assassinate the Prime Minister?"

     Speedy hesitated, his eyes darting back and forth.  "Actually… yes."

     Mayhem erupted within the cave.

     "What the devil are you talking about, Gonzales?"

     "Are you off your rocker?"

     "Stupid kid-faced youth doesn't know what he's talking about—he's blabbering baby gibberish."

     "Shut the hell up, you morons!" InuYasha bellowed.  "Let the kid speak his mind."  He settled back against the wall of the cave, scowling.  Boy, he was really sticking his neck out for that kid… he better see some reparations soon.

     "It's just a theory," Speedy stammered.  "I mean… if you look at the patterns… the targets are always in proximity to the Prime Minister… the threats have always had an underlying reference to him… and—they're next planned strike is to be on the night of his Formal Speech to the Nation."

     If mayhem erupted last time, this was absolute pandemonium.

     InuYasha stared at Speedy in stupefaction, the words registering in his mind.  All the missing pieces of the puzzle had just been snapped in place.  He slowly rose and repeated his earlier shouted phrase…several times… before the noise died down again.  "Speedy?" he asked slowly.  "Would you care to explain yourself?"

     Speedy cast a nervous glance towards Rocky.  "Uh—sure, Hanyou.  Wh-where do you want me to start?"

     "How about the part," he said, casually strolling over to Speedy's side, "where you tell us how we were stupid enough not to notice earlier that you aren't on our side?"

     "I— what?!"  Speedy jumped to his feet, but InuYasha had been expecting a reaction like this.  His foot shot out from beneath him, and he knocked Speedy to the ground in three seconds flat.  With his wounds so fresh, Speedy lay on the ground in a crumpled heap, breathing heavily, his eyes wide with fear.  "Hanyou—?" he stammered shakily.

     "Don't talk unless I address you first," InuYasha said coldly, his eyes smoldering.  "You have a lot to explain, kid."  _I thought I could trust you—you were the only uncorrupted one… why did it have to be you?  _

     "Dog Turd!" Kouga shouted, his menacing figure materializing in-between Speedy and InuYasha.  "What the crap do you think you're doing?"

     "Maybe you should ask Rocky," said InuYasha coolly, glaring at menacing figure.  "You knew there was a traitor in our midst—why didn't you do anything about it?"

     "I hardly think I have to explain my actions to _you_, Hanyou."  Rocky turned and nodded towards Kouga..  "Tie him up."

     "But—"

     "You heard me!"

     "Yes, sir," Kouga mumbled in submission, shooting InuYasha a dark look before bending over Speedy's crumpled form.

     InuYasha forced himself not to look at Speedy.  Instead, he looked around the cave.  The rest of the youkai were staring at the tableau in front of them, mouths hanging open. 

     "So.  Congratulations, Hanyou," Rocky said, clapping a hand on InuYasha's back.  "I thought you'd be the first to figure it out.  Didn't think you'd crack it so soon, though."

     "Why?" InuYasha managed.  _Why Speedy?  _

     "Why didn't I tell you right away?"  Rocky laughed boisterously, his fangs glowing in the pale moonlight shining through the opening of the cave.  "To keep you on your feet, of course.  You bumbling bakas get quite full of yourselves sometimes, and become rather sloppy… I've got to throw y'all for a few loops once in a while to make sure you're still on your toes, now, don't I?"

     "Speedy wasn't your fabrication," InuYasha gritted, still not looking at the kid on the floor.  "He was unexpected."

     Rocky shrugged unrepentantly.  "Granted.  He's smart, this one.  Took me a couple'a weeks to figure him out myself.  Let him go loose a few more days before I said anything though, hoping one of you would find him out—and ya did.  Kudos to you, Hanyou."

 "Thanks," InuYasha said sarcastically, meeting Rocky's gaze defiantly.  "So is everything hunky-dory now?"

     "Of course not," Rocky said cheerfully.  "We lost a lot of information to the enemy through this guy.  Gotta cover our tracks now—a lot of hard work coming up, boys."

     InuYasha sucked in a breath.  _We lost information? _ _That means… _ "Speedy… he's a double agent?"

     Rocky gave InuYasha a surprised look.  "Don't tell me you missed that?" he said incredulously.  "Hanyou, you really are getting sloppy!  That was what tipped me off—how the Enemy was suddenly anticipating _all _of our moves, how our information was becoming so intricate and detailed—"

     "Was our information that tipped me off," mumbled InuYasha brokenly, cursing himself for not seeing through Speedy's disguise.  _You didn't want to see though his disguise.  You genuinely liked him—and look where it got you.  Almost betrayed yourself—all 'cause you liked the kid.  Good going, InuYasha.  That's the way to lose your life.  _

"Hey Rocky, what about assignments?" one of the men shouted.  "Come on, don't leave us in suspense!"

"Hang on for a bleeding minute, you jokers—I'm getting there."  Rocky turned to Kouga, who was dusting off his palms, having finished tying up Speedy.  "You first, Wolfie.  Step into my office."  He winked.  Kouga managed to choke out a small laugh before following the man outside the cave.

     The rest of the men returned to their conversations, laughing and joking like before.  The incident involving Speedy was already forgotten—they had more important things to focus on now.

     InuYasha heaved a sigh and allowed himself to look down.  He winced as his gaze met Speedy's.  Bad idea… the kid was using the puppy-dog eyes. 

     "Hanyou," Speedy pleaded, "Hanyou, please, believe me—I didn't do it!  It wasn't me!"

     InuYasha barked out an incredulous laugh.  "Nice one, kid.  I really thought you had more dignity."

     "No—no!  It wasn't me!  I swear!  Hanyou, would I do that to you?  After our times together—?"

     "Sorry, Speedy.  Look, it was my fault for befriending you.  I shouldn't have.  This is making things even harder—and now you're going for the friendship appeal.  It happens every time—you're not our first double agent, you know.  All the others used the friendship appeal too.  One actually had the nerve to use the 'youkai brothers' line.  What a laugh."  He drew in a breath.  "You aren't perfect you know.  I was bound to find out eventually."

     "How… how did you figure me out?"

     InuYasha refrained from correcting the kid's grammar.  Lord, he even started to _think_ like his brother whenever he got in propinquity with the effeminate man.  "You didn't add up.  Like Rocky said, your information was too detailed, to intricate.  And then—that line about murdering the Prime Minister—that's what busted you."

"But it's true!  Hanyou, you have to save him!  They're planning to shoot him when he's giving his speech right after—"

     "Oh, I've no doubt you're telling the truth, Speedy."

     "You—you—what?"

     "The Prime Minister most certainly is a target—Rocky's suspecting that he was the enemy's target for ages now—but the fact that _you _knew that he was a target… and that you knew exactly _when_ and _how_ the assassination was going to occur…  You gave yourself away."      

     "But I… stumbled upon the information."  The statement was more of a beseeching question.

     InuYasha smirked.  "Kid, you don't _stumble _upon information like that.  Nice try."

     "But—Hanyou—!"

     "Sorry, kid.  It was nice knowing you—we had some fun times.  Too bad you had to turn traitor, huh?"  He quickly turned away and stalked outside.  Rocky and Kouga were speaking in hushed tones.  Kouga didn't look too happy.  InuYasha deliberately stepped on a twig, alerting the pair of his presence.  Both youkai stopped talking.

     "That's all, Wolfie.  Don't let me down."

     "Right," Kouga mumbled, brushing past InuYasha to re-enter the cave. 

     Rocky motioned for InuYasha to join him with a jerk of the head.  InuYasha stayed rooted in place.  "You can tell me from here."

     "What's eating you?"

     "You know quite well what's eating me."

     "It's your little friend isn't it?"

     "Yes," InuYasha said shortly.  "You didn't have to do that.  You could have let him go quietly… sold him to the enemy for a price.  Ransomed him.  Why didn't you?"

     Rocky sighed.  "He knows too much.  We couldn't just let him go… you know that."

     "He's only a kid!"

     "He made his choices," said Rocky sharply.  "I can't change what I have no control over."  He sighed again.  "Do you want to be there for his execution?"

     "Are you going to torture him for information first?" asked InuYasha harshly.

     "You know the answer to that" came the quiet reply.

     "I'll pass, thanks."  InuYasha flopped to the ground, sitting Indian-style with his arms crossed.

     "Look," Rocky said, his voice surprisingly gentle.  "This is war.  No one ever said it was easy… and your job, InuYasha, is even more difficult.  It comes with a price.  But you, too, made your choices."

     "Yeah."

     "So… about your next assignment…"

     "Go ahead and let it out.  Don't get all sappy over me—I'll be all right.  I won't get sentimental over some kid spy."

     "As you wish."  Rocky's voice turned dictatorial again.  "A new recruit will be joining the band soon."

     "Youkai?"

     "No."

     "Hanyou?"  InuYasha said in surprise.  As of now, he was the only hanyou in the band of men—it was very rare that a half-demon made it into the gang's ranks.

     "No…"

     "Huh?  But what else…"  InuYasha stopped short.  "Wha…?  You can't mean he's _human_!"

     "She.  She is human."

     _"What?!"_ InuYasha shot to his feet.  "She?  A female?  In our group?  You're joking!"

     "Do I ever joke?  Yes, a female will be joining the group.  I think she will be a valuable asset to us."

     "So what do I gotta do, go train her or something?"

     "No; that's Kouga's job."

     No wonder the poor guy had looked so bummed.

     "Your assignment is to hook up with our new contact."

     "The replacement of the one we lost?"

     "Yes."

     "Is this one another nurse?"

     "No—"

     "A _doctor?_"  Doctors were stupid, stuck-up mortals, and usually no help to their band at all.

     "No.  From what I've heard he's a monk."

     . . . . .

     "A _monk_."

     "Yes."

     "I didn't know that monks still existed…"

     Rocky shrugged.  "Well, apparently they do… anyhow, he's said to be a lecher—"

     "A lecherous holy man?  This should be interesting…"

     "But he's supposed to be sharp.  He has some morals, and is completely loyal to the Japanese cause."

     "Great.  A hypocritical nationalist."

     "Don't be so cynical.  You don't have to be best friends with him, just pass the dumb information."

     "Yeah, whatever."

     "Oh… I might as well warn you…your brother is currently taking an indefinite leave from his normal office and is currently hiding out in the hospital that you visited last night… the same one with our new monk contact."

     InuYasha moaned in agony.  _Why me…?  _"What else can go wrong?"

     "Oh… and by the way, InuYasha…"

     _Oh, please… what now? _

     "That Kikyo look-alike… I'd steer clear of her, if I were you.  Personal vendettas don't mix with our work."

     "You stay _out _of that," InuYasha snarled, coming to his defense.

     "All right, all right… sheath your claws, boy," Rocky said mildly.  "I'm just warning you…"

     "I can handle this, thanks."

     Rocky chuckled.  _That's what they all say.  _"Well, I'm done with you, boy.  You're on your own.  Go do what has to be done."

     "Yeah…"  InuYasha stared vacantly into space.  "Yeah…"  He shook his head.  "Right… later, Rocky."  With that, he bounded off into the darkness.

     Rocky shook his head slightly and made his way towards the cave, taking his time.  When it was the matter of a traitor to take care of… he had all night.  He could take all the time he wanted.

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     **InuYasha**** sped through the** **woods,** his mind on the hospital.  If he could find that monk quickly, get whatever information he could and pass it on to Rocky in the matter of days… then he could take his time with his "personal vendetta" as Rocky had called it. 

     _Steer clear of the Kikyo look-like, my ass.  That wench is my ticket to retribution… and possibly more.  _He smirked and increased his speed as he came closer and closer to the field hospital.

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So what do you think?  Review please!  Tell me all the good stuff, the bad stuff, the in-between stuff.  Just want some feedback.     Until next time!


	3. Realization

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**A/N: **Konnichiwa minna-san! I am extremely sorry for the delay. This is the worst time of year. My AP Euro exam is over, thank God, so that's one stress-inflictor that's gone.

Not too much else to say, except remember that this is an AU fic. The time period is based during the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) but I have added a few elements of my own…. The Russians didn't have Italian mercenaries (at least none that I knew of), and the army branding thing is my own invention. So remember… this war may progress differently than you've heard of, but just go with it, ok? that's it for now. Now on with _Charade_! 

_Disclaimer:_I do not own InuYasha

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**CHARADE**

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**Chapter Three: REALIZATION **

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"See this here? This is called a _scalpel… _and this here—I'm particularly fond of this one—it's called an _incision knife_… this is what will be sticking out of your head if you ever THINK about touching me again!"

"It was an accident! I swear! I tripped—"

"Over air?"

"—over my shoelaces!"

"You're wearing _sandals, _you blockheaded, perverted, lecherous monk!" Sango screamed. "If you value your life at all, DON'T TOUCH ME AGAIN!" 

Miroku sighed despondently. _Why is it that the most beautiful ones are always the most violent? _

"You have all the other women in this hospital wrapped around your little finger—go bother them."

_Go bother them? _He resented that. "Sango, dearest, do you think I'm trying to _bother_ you?"

"Whether you're trying or not, you're doing a very effective job of it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have WORK to do…" With a pointed look, she stalked off, fuming.

Miroku lamented the fact that the unflattering standard-issued the nurses had to wear hid the beautiful legs that he was sure Miss Sango had… "Modern science will be the death of all men," he sighed, as he wandered off towards the impromptu shrine near the back of the warehouse. He at least had to maintain the appearance of being a holy man…

** "Miss Higurashi."**

"Hai?" Kagome looked up in surprise to find a doctor towering over her. At least—she assumed he was a doctor by his medic uniform; she'd never seen him before. Light brown hair, open face, pleasant features… "What is it, sir?"

"Are you almost finished with this man?"

"Nearly, sir." She'd already cleaned his wounds, and was now in the processes of bandaging them. She'd planned on doing something about his scraped and bloody feet, but now it looked as if that would have to wait… 

"I'll just be a few minutes."

"It is somewhat urgent—but I can give you a few minutes."

"Of course," she said, curiosity taking over. Was she in trouble? She hadn't done anything to make Kitosumo mad lately—at least nothing _too_ bad. Was she being transferred? _Oh please, not when I'm just beginning to get comfortable here_… "Um, what are you waiting for?"

"I'm waiting for you to finish binding his wounds," he said innocently.

"No, no…" She internally winced. That had come out wrong. "I mean, why are you waiting for me? Does someone need to see me?"

"Dr. Kitosumo has requested to see you as soon as possible."

_Crap. _"What for?"

"I believe you are going to be assisting him in an operation in about—" he checked his watch—"twenty minutes."

Kagome nearly sighed in relief… before the words actually registered. "But—but I'm not a surgical nurse!"

The doctor shrugged. "He probably just wants to prepare you in case you need to take someone's place. Who knows if we'll be working with the same people a week from now? Or even in a day's time?"

_Now there's a comforting thought. _

"Of course, just a minute, sir," she murmured, returning to the task of binding the soldier's wounds. _Great.__ Just what I need—to assist an operation… God, I hate dissections. _

She knew it made a rather ridiculous picture—a medic who couldn't cut people open—but she was a nurse, not a surgeon, for god's sake! Her first dissection in her high school Anatomy class had ended with her in the clinic, hunched over a wastebasket. Granted, a dissection wasn't the same as an operation—but they both involved cutting a body open and fixing something within! She shuddered. 

"There… finished."

The doctor nodded politely. "I shall escort you to the operating table Kitosumo has set up."

"Is that really necessary?" Kagome laughed lightly, getting up to her feet. "Me having an escort, I mean? It's just across the way."

The doctor gave her a level look, although Kagome could have sworn she saw amusement in his eyes. "Kitosumo seemed to think it was necessary…"

_Busted._ "Oh…well then…" There went her plan of escape. _I swear, that man must have a sixth sense or something… _ "What was your name again? I seem to have forgotten it…"

"I never offered it," the doctor said with a stoic face. He began to walk and motioned for Kagome to follow. "I was just transferred here yesterday—my name is Kobayashi Hojo."

"I'm Higurashi Kagome."

"Yes, Dr. Kitosumo mentioned your name when he sent me to get you…"

"Oh. Right." _Stall for time! Anything, anything… _ "So where were you transferred from? What do you specialize in?" 

"I'm originally from Tokyo, but I moved to Nagasaki a year ago. I'm an anesthesiologist."

"You're from Tokyo? So am I! Did you intern there?" _Emergency bathroom break?__ Too obvious. Previous engagement momentarily forgotten? He'd never fall for that. Pass out—trip—suddenly "recognize" an old childhood friend…think, think, think! _

"Tokyo General Hospital. I interned in a smaller hospital in the west part of the city. I was one of the many anesthesiologists there."

"You left Tokyo to go to Nagasaki? I've never even heard of the place."

"I'm not surprised." He smiled. "It's population is very small. It's the capital of the Nagasaki prefecture."

"Oh. City boy who prefers small towns, huh?"

He shrugged. "Not really." 

Kagome waited for him to elaborate. When he made no move to add on to his previous statement, she prodded, "How come you left?"

"I wanted to make a difference."

"And you couldn't do that in Tokyo?"

"Not when I was only one of seven permanent anesthesiologists at TGH—plus there were about three interns, a few residents…"

"Welcome to Tokyo, as they say…"

"You get the picture," he agreed. "I can honestly say that I was replaceable—expendable. I wanted to make a difference in the world, not just be another doctor in the TGH."

_An idealist out in the battlefield.__ This should be interesting…_

Kagome noted a trace of faint bitterness in his tone. "So you didn't feel significant at the hospital?"

He gave her a deadpan look. "You could say that…"

"Incompetent nurses? Ungrateful patients?"

"More like a supervisor from hell."

"Oh really?" _Doesn't that sound familiar. _"Head doctor?"

"As a matter of fact, yes." He sounded surprised. "You said you worked in Tokyo—I'm assuming you were a nurse there?"

_No, I was a garbage man… _"Yes, I was a nurse at a small children's hospital—usually there wasn't any more than twenty or thirty children in the house at once."

"House?"

"Mmhm… it was an old house that a group of nuns paid to refurbish; they turned it into a small children's hospital and it's been that way ever since."

"Ah."

The pair was nearing the operating area of the building, and Kagome began to panic, seeing as she hadn't devised a plan of escape during the conversation. _Think, think, think! _

At the exact moment, the shrill air-raid siren blasted throughout the building.

_There is a God! _

"Fiddlesticks," Hojo grumbled. "I'll never get used to these obnoxious alarms."

"They are annoying," Kagome said, trying to suppress the smile spreading across her face, "especially when the blackouts last longer than they're supposed to. But I suppose a bunch of false alarms or flukes are better than actually having ships loaded with cannons a few miles away, ne?"

"Indeed. There's Kitosumo—better hurry over to him before the lights go out." 

"Oh—well… I have to… um, go check on the stock…"

"The stock?" Hojo gave her an odd look.

"You know," she laughed lightly, "when the lights go out an all we have to…protect the…medicine and… stock—like extra bandages and stuff…in case some less scrupulous people decide to make off with some of our precious…resources."

"Oh. I never thought of that before…" Hojo suddenly gave her a huge smile. "You're quite fascinating, Higurashi. I hope I will be seeing you frequently."

"Why…thank you…" Kagome didn't know how to respond to that. He was a nice guy… even if he was somewhat of a dim idealist. A person could have worse faults. "See ya around."

"Always, Higurashi."

**This could be difficult to pull off.** InuYasha had never been one for planning—in fact, he was rather well-known for his impulsiveness (or what Kouga called stupidity)—but he had to admit he had a haphazard plan at best.

_What am I supposed to do, just waltz up to her and say, "Hey, I need to settle a few scores, would you mind helping me out? Oh, and by the way, this could endanger your life…" _

He could just not say anything. Kidnapping was illegal for a reason—if it didn't work, there would be no reason to ban it, would there?

His ears twitched and he instinctively slowed his pace. He was almost to the field hospital…without any idea what he was going to do. He only knew one thing: everything depended on the Higurashi girl. She was nothing short of a _"go ahead, I'm on your side" _message from heaven.

All he needed was one of his enemies to spot the two of them sitting in a cozy café, having what would look like to be an intense conversation. They would immediately mistake her for Kikyo, and then things would go downhill from there for them. That small seed of suspicion would be planted, and every member or contact for the Black Mask would be re-inspected and interrogated. Assignments and terrorist activities would be postponed for a couple of hours, or however long it took to drag information out of Kikyo. But it would be just enough time for Rocky or someone else to go smuggle the Prime Minister to safety. 

And it all depended on the Higurashi girl.

Of course, there was that little bonus of Kikyo being tortured, Naraku being foiled, and InuYasha's worth being proven a thousands times over to Rocky… but those were all pluses.

Not many knew that the Prime Minister of Japan had enough youkai blood to give off a scent to those who could smell it. Although the man publicly denounced radical taiyoukai demonstrations and had once called a well-known radical youkai political party "a herd of ignorant asses," he wasn't above accepting help from them when his life was concerned.

And this wouldn't be the first time the Youkai Espionage Channel had saved his butt. Not many knew about the incident back in 1902, when the reported "kitchen fire" had ruined more than half of the PM's primary residence; the news that the PM was _supposed _to have been within one of the burning rooms at the exact time the fire had started hadn't reached the press.

InuYasha had gotten there first. And saved the man from being publicly humiliated. 

Rocky had a whacked sense of humor when he handed out first-time assignments to newbies he inducted into the group on "intuition."

InuYasha smiled grimly. _Good thing Mother's not alive to see me today. She'd have a fit if she knew I was trying to change the world through violence and espionage. _

_ I have justification, though. If the human race was in jeopardy, I would join their cause too. _The curse of being a hybrid—not one, nor the other. His loyalties were torn—who was he to favor? Human or demon?

He always had a tendency to root for the underdog…

And he wasn't about to sit back and let those pompous Russians obliterate the Japanese youkai race. They'd nearly succeeded in killing off the entire Russian youkai population—and it was the Inernational Youkai Council's fault for not doing anything about it. But when Russia decided to expand their borders and annex China into the glorious Russian empire, what had the InterYoCon done?

Absolutely nothing. Stammered a bunch of crap about "diplomacy" and "appeasement." _"Why would __Russia__ want our tiny island after dominating all of __China__? If we interfere, we could be facing a potential war—which is the last thing we needed after the minor economic crisis from five years ago that we're still trying to recover from."_

Heck, Japan's government was starting to sound like those isolationist morons over in the U.S.

And what did Japan have to show for their "careful political maneuvering"?

A full-scale defensive war, with no apparent allies, as of now. France had replied with an indecisive response. _We'll get involved if things start looking real bad. _Of course, that cheap Russian oil was always a factor. Germany flat-out turned them down. _Too close to __Russia__—an unlit match near a pile of gunpowder. An alliance with __Japan__ could light that match. _ The U.S. promised to help out as soon as their economic improved by ten percent. They'd had economic problems over the years too.

And this was just the humans' problems. The youaki issue was an entirely different story. The humans were fighting to keep control of the island, and Japanese land in Manchuria and parts of Indonesia—all of which were threatened by the mighty Russian empire. Demons were fighting to save the Asian Youkai race from extermination.

_Cowardly Interyocon bastards._ They'd given him no choice. If the IYC stuck its head in the sand and didn't do a thing to protect the youkai population, who was he to sit back and watch his bloodline be overrun by over-ambitious, misguided humans?

_Or misguided youaki._He remembered what Rocky had told him a few days ago through a messenger: that his half-brother suspected him of being involved in Black Mask youkai terrorist activity. He'd enjoyed a good laugh over that. _So, Fluffy thinks I'm in with Naraku, huh? How ironic—the proverbial "bad boy" of the family is actually in with the "good guys" this time. _

He'd be sure to keep his secret for as long as he could—oh, being wrong would absolutely kill Sesshomaru. InuYasha was positive his half-brother had obsessive-compulsive disorder: how many other men, besides those girly models, cleaned their fingernails daily and went to facials once a week? Plus, Fluffy's office was like a museum: filing cabinets with papers categorized in alphabetical order; books meticulously arranged on the bookshelf by genre and author's name; not even dust mites dared to thrive in Sesshomaru's work space. 

Back at military school, InuYasha was regularly sent to Sesshomaru's office after mouthing off to a teacher, getting into another fight, or anything that didn't sit well with the officers. Needless to say, InuYasha hadn't been the most well-behaved student. Once, when he was fifteen (the age when one of his greatest pleasures in life was tormenting his twenty-five-year-old perfectionist brother) he had been sent to Sesshomaru's office… and Sesshomaru had stepped out for a moment. Being the devious little hanyou that he was, he fished a scrap piece of paper out of one of his numerous pockets and carelessly let it drop on the ground near the mahogany desk. When Sesshomaru had _finally _entered the office, ready to give The Lecture, he spotted the piece of paper, stopped short…and absolutely exploded.

_"You audacious, ungrateful, self-centered brat!__ How many times must I give you The Lecture before it penetrates your thick skull? Has it not occurred to you that I loathe these 'counseling sessions' just as much as you? After all the money Father has spent for your top-rate education, you continue to throw it away by slacking off in class, causing trouble, and terrorizing the school! The only reason you're still here is because you happen to have better fighting skills than any of those skinny acne-faced adolescents—"_

_ "To which I owe you my undying thanks, Fluffy. If you hadn't tried to kill me so many times as a child, I wouldn't be the same man I am today." InuYasha gave a deep bow._

_ "Enough!" Sesshmaru shouted, actually startling InuYasha. Sesshomaru was notorious for his violence, but the passive demon never raised his voice. "When are you going to grow up, InuYasha? You're not a man; you're still a child. Life isn't all fun and games. Those duals you have once a day are gentlemen's battles—nothing like you'll encounter on a real battlefield. If you continue to prank your way through school, you'll be demoted to corporal before you even make it through Officer's School—"_

_ "Like I'd actually want to be a prick like you, sitting behind a desk all day doing nothing."_

_ "Oh that's right," said Sesshomaru sarcastically. "I forgot. You want to be out on the battlefield, in the middle of the action. Or maybe go into espionage?"_

_ "Maybe." InuYasha smirked lightly. "How would that feel, Fluffy? Cute little second child of InuTaisho actually making a difference in the world when the blessed first-born is stuck doing paperwork. Ironic, no?"_

_ "Don't—call—me—Fluffy," Sesshomaru ground out, wincing. "If I've warned you once, I've warned you a thousand times. If you don't straighten up your act—"_

_ " 'You'll find yourself on the wrong side of the law.' Thank you for those wise words of wisdom, Fluffy, but, if I may say so, I believe you have erred in that statement. You state it with a negative connotation."_

_ "As opposed to a positive connotation? So now you WANT to be an outlaw?"_

_ "Did I say that? Don't go putting words into my mouth. You're so old-school, Sess. The world isn't black-and-white like some make it out to be. Just because you choose to ignore the gray doesn't mean it's nonexistent."_

_ "Behind all those fancy words, you're basically saying that if someday you end up in jail, you'll have justification."_

_ "Of course I will. You think I'd willingly put myself into a cage like that?"_

_ "I suppose that would be too much to hope for." Sesshomaru wearily lowered himself into his chair. "Go. I have no further use of you. Don't mouth off to the teachers again, make sure and straighten up your act, and all those other clichés I'm supposed to spout at you in hopes that they will reach your brain by some miraculous act of God."_

_ "Until next time, Fluffy."_

_ "I shall anxiously count the minutes," Sesshomaru muttered sarcastically. _

InuYasha smiled slightly. He would have to break into Sesshomaru's office again someday, just for old time's sake. Maybe he'd tie that little toad of a bodyguard to the ceiling fan and watch him go 'round…

The trees were becoming more sparse now—and there was the field hospital, just in sight. Now he just had to find that Kagome wench…

His nose twitched as the wind suddenly changed directions. He hesitated for a moment, and then turning sharply to the right. _Dammit__, I'm being tailed. Of all the times… guess that wench is gonna have to wait. _He sniffed again. _Demon.__ Definitely a demon. A stupid one though, seeing as it's traveling downwind…. One of Naraku's puppets, probably. Brainwashed kid, most likely. _ He took a few sharp turns and even doubled back for a time, but the scent still trailed him. He heaved a sigh and figured he may as well get the fight over with while they were still under the cover of the forest and the night. 

He stopped short and yelled into the wind, towards the direction the scent was coming from, "All right, show yourself! I know you're one of Naraku's goons—most likely out to kill me—so get your backside over here and we'll settle this now."

"Hasty as usual, I see, InuYasha," came a cool voice.

InuYasha's breath hitched in his throat. _No… it couldn't be… _

As the figure drew closer, he could see the milky white skin and satiny black hair that he knew so well. "Kikyo?" he hissed, squinting his eyes. Definitely Kikyo—not that Higurashi wench.

"You still remember me, I see," she said in that melodious voice of hers.

"Keh, like I could ever forget what you did to me." He hated the way his voice cracked. He still had feelings for her, dammit! Why couldn't he just push them away?_ 'She betrayed you!' _the voice in his head taunted. '_You have no reason to still love her!' _But he did. And you couldn't exactly push away feelings that strong in an instant. Her betrayal had hurt—pierced his heart. _Why, Kikyo? Why? You said you loved me…Then to turn around and work for my enemy…_

He drew in a ragged breath. _Snap out of it! _"All right, what do you want?" His nose twitched again.

"Now, InuYasha," she pouted, "is that any way to greet your lover?"

"FORMER lover," he growled. "I owe you no respect of any kind, you traitor."

"InuYasha…" she said softly. "Do not judge me without reason."

"I'm not—" His nose twitched again. What the hell? He sniffed again, his eyes narrowing. _This…this isn't Kikyo's scent! It's… the scent of a demon! _

"InuYasha?"

_Act now, think later. _He suddenly sprung from his spot and in a moment had Kikyo pressed against a tree, his hands around "her" neck. "All right, demon," he snarled. "Show yourself."

"InuYasha, what's gotten into you?" Kikyo squeaked, her voice higher than usual. 

"That's right. I'm going to drain you of your oxygen until you show your true form, Shape-shifter."

"I…am…in my—" Kikyo's face was turning blue. InuYasha willed himself not to let go. God, it killed him to see her like this—even though he knew it wasn't her.

Kikyo started spluttering and gasping for air. Then, all of a sudden, she disappeared—and in her place was a tiny fox demon, his red hair tied up in a blue bow, his hands clutching and clawing at his neck. "C'mon, leggo! I can't breathe."

InuYasha growled and only squeezed tighter. "You low-down, dirty impersonator! Did you really a trick like that would work on me? I'm hanyou, remember? I can smell your stinking scent!"

"It was working, wasn't it?" the kitsune gasped. "Just like Naraku said—you were be too blinded by the vision of your lover to realize that—" it broke off, gagging as InuYasha's hands involuntarily tightened around the kit's neck.

"I should kill you right now—"

"No!" it squealed. "Onegai, don't kill me! Please!"

"You're working for Naraku. That's enough reason for me to kill anybody. That bastard doesn't give a fig about the youkai race—he just wants to put himself into power. And impersonating Kikyo… well, that just sealed your fate."

"I'm only a kid!" The kit attempted puppy-dog-eyes, but it's rather hard to look cute with a limited supply of oxygen. "I'm too young to die!"

"Keh, you're probably as old as I am, _demon._"

"But younger than you by demon standards! Please, let me go! I can give you information about Kikyo!"

"Like I'd want to know anything about that bitch."

"Naraku, then!"

"I know more about him than I'd ever want to."

"Kagura—Juromaru—the Lightning brothers—"

"The who?"

"The Lightning brothers!" the kit nearly shouted, squirming. "Hiten and Manten! They work for Naraku as undercover agents sometimes… he has to pay each of them over a thousand yen every time they feed him information or do one of his dirty deeds—but they're secretly on his side."

_The Lightning brothers… those thugs from the __Military__Academy__?__ The older one was always a suck-up—especially to Fluffy. The younger one was a brainless mass of blubber. Interesting. Does this kit really know what he's talking about, or is he just feeding my a load of crap? He's nearly unconscious and desperate. Still… I'll have to look into that. _

InuYasha released the kit and let it fall to the ground, hacking and gasping for air. While it was still trying to pull in galleons of air, he grabbed it by its fuzzy tail and stuffed it into a hole in the tree. "Thanks for the info, kid. You can go tell Naraku that he can burn Kikyo at the stake for all I care—and that he better watch his back." With that, he raced into the darkness, once again heading for the field hospital.

**_ InuYasha no baka…_** Shippo winced as he touched his bruised neck. The stupid hanyou had nearly killed him! Looks as if Naraku had lied to him—again. __

_ "But Naraku, I'm scared! He's dangerous! He could kill me in a split second with those claws of his—"_

_ "Don't be ridiculous, Shippo. He's only hanyou; you are a full demon. What is there to be scared of? Just do what I tell you and nothing will go wrong." _

That bastard. Shippo's father had been part of the Black Mask, back in the early days of the war, when Naraku was just fighting for the youkai race. Now… Naraku was talking of building a "youkai society" and placing "those miserable humans" at the bottom of the social strata, making them underlings to the racially superior youkai. Shippo's father didn't like the talk of making humans underlings. He was a simple fox demon who just wanted humans and demons to live in peace (A/N: wow… can anyone just hear John Lennon's _Imagine _playing in the background? Somebody break out the lighters, LoL). He tried to leave the Black Mask—but one is either for or against the Black Mask. The fox demon was thrown into one of Naraku's personal prisons, and his wife and child forced to serve Naraku, under threat of the fox demon's death. 

Shippo pushed himself to his feet, still having trouble breathing. InuYasha was strong. Maybe InuYasha would defeat Naraku, and Shippo could have his father back.

Shippo glanced around. In fact… what was stopping him from just running after InuYasha right now and begging him to kill Naraku now? Naraku had gone underground again, and everyone else was on assignment. The planned day for the PM's murder was drawing near… no one would miss him.

He started to skip in the direction InuYasha had gone—but stopped short at the sound of beating wings. 

_Aw, crap. _Naraku's informers—poison insects. Blast them.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming… yeah, I know HQ is in the other direction. I was going to…take a potty break. Can't a guy take a pee without suffering third degree?"

** Kagome froze in mid-step.** What was that sound? It sounded like a herd of elephants stomping their way through the jungle…

_"All alert! All alert! The Russian navy has docked at Otaru and troops are headed this way! Otaru is under attack and soldiers are heading this way! All alert, all alert—!" _

Gods, no!

She turned on her heel and sprinted to where she'd last left Hojo. They had to start evacuating—where, she didn't know—but they had to save the soldiers!

She momentarily forgot that the hospital was in complete blackness. Once again, she slammed into someone and tumbled to the ground. "Oww…"

"Who's there?" came the sharp voice of Kitosumo.

"Oh—Dr. Kitosumo! I—gomen ne!" _Ah, crap. __Of all the people to bash into..._

"Higurashi?" She could almost hear him scowling. "Weren't you supposed to assist me in the operation?"

"Uh, hai, sir, I was coming when the lights went out."

"You were due over fifteen minutes ago. Did that Kobayashi idiot not give you the message?"

"No, he did!"

"Then why were you not at the operating table when we were ready to start?"

"I—I had to finish tending to the patient I was working on, sir. You said yourself it is bad form to begin something and never finish—"

"Do not preach my own words at me! When I tell you to aid me in an operation at a specific time, I expect you to be there!" 

"Y-yes sir… but, sir! Did you hear? The enemy army is nearing the hospital—shouldn't we begin to evacuate the wounded? Take them somewhere safe so we don't lose the men we've tried to hard to save?"

"That is an eloquent and passionate plea, Miss Higurashi, but it only lacks one thing." He paused for suspense. "Logic."

Kagome glowered. Degraded again. "But sir—"

"Where exactly do you want to evacuate them to, Miss Higurashi? The woods? The hills? Perhaps the nearest cave?"

"Maybe the nearest city—" she began.

"The nearest city is the sea port of Otaru, which happens to be under attack. If it isn't too much to ask, Higurashi, try and use your head once in a while." He turned and began to walk away. "Make yourself useful and help a few patients while the men try and defend this hospital."

"Of course, sir," Kagome said through clenched teeth. She muttered a few curses at Kitosumo's turned back and began to slowly feel her way through the darkness. "Does anyone have a dang candle around here? I can't see what the heck I'm doing." 

_The Shrine.__ The shrine should have candles. That monk is always lighting them. Take that, Kitosumo! Look who's using her head now!. _

_ Now…um, which way would the shrine be…?_

**_What is THAT?_** InuYasha stared at the blob of black against the dark cover of the night. He sniffed the air. _Body odor.__ Gunpowder. _Looked like—_smelled _like—a mass of…soldiers?

_Oh, hell no. _ An invasion. The Russians had broken through Otaru's defenses. Couldn't those lousy humans defend one pathetic city? 

And, naturally, they were heading towards the main part of Sapporo, one of the largest cities on island, overrunning everything in their path.

And guess what was directly in their path?

_I think the gods are laughing at me, _InuYasha thought, frowning darkly. _That Kikyo-but-not-quite wench ain't any use to me if she's dead! _ He sped up his pace. The field hospital was only a few hundred meters away now. He had to reach the field hospital before the Russian army did.

**"He's getting back at me for something.** That has to be it. If he lets Dog Turd go gallivanting off to find that Kikyo-look-alike dame and then turns around and sends _me _to train the new recruit…this doesn't add up. He has to be punishing me for something."

"Look, Kouga, every guy deserves a break once in a while. Hanyou hasn't taken a vacation for over two years," panted Ginta "Tagger." "Besides, you're on assignment. He's not. You should feel honored."

"Maybe Rocky has an ulterior motive," Hakkaku "Pocahontas" said at the same time. 

"Of course he has an ulterior motive!" snapped Kouga, suddenly stopping. The three wolf demons had reached the outskirts of the village. "Rocky doesn't choose a specific flavor of ice cream without contemplating how it could possibly effect his political standpoint or throw his enemy off his tracks." 

Tagger was looking at the village beyond. "Not much to look at, is it?"

Pocahontas scratched his head. "How do you think Rocky found a recruit from this little Podunk town?"

Tagger shrugged. "Some swear he has supernatural powers. All the newbies think he's God."

"Think this one will worship him too?"

"Dunno. She'll be the first woman in the gang." Tagger looked up at the sky thoughtfully. "Wonder how she'll react to bunking and eating and bathing with a bunch of men."

"She's probably one of those manly types—has to be able to handle herself, anyhow. If she's human _and _female, she's gotta have something special about her."

"Yeah… what do you think Kouga?... Kouga? _Oi_, _Kouga_!"

"Wait for us!" 

**_The tavern…_**_ Rocky said the girl was a tavern wench. Figures. Get a man drunk enough, and he'll spill his guts—literally and figuratively. Smart. No wonder Rocky didn't think twice about choosing this one. Girl doesn't even needs brains for this job—just a pretty, innocent face. _

"Hey! You two clowns!"

"Eh?" Tagger and Pocahontas were goggling at some of the village girls sauntering down the street, giggling and whispering behind their hands. Tagger's eyes were practically popping out. 

"What do they feed these girls here?" Pocahontas asked hoarsely. 

"Dunno… maybe we can get some and feed it to the females back in our home?"

"Like you two are ever home," Kouga snapped. "Look, you scout around and see what you can find out about this town. I'm gonna go find the wench."

"'Kay…" 

_Morons_, Kouga thought affectionately. He set out, casually strolling down the road. It was early enough in the morning that only the servants and peasants were out and about—the nobles were still indulged in beauty sleep—but not early enough to draw suspicion to themselves. Tricks of the trade; they came with experience.

He read the signs protruding from the eaves of the roofs: _Café, General Store, Weaponry, Ironsmith. _

He felt uneasiness settle within his stomach. Why did this town feel so familiar? He had this weird feeling of déjà vu…

_Black Dove Tavern! That's it. How many taverns can a little town like this have? _ As his gaze continued down the street, he groaned in dismay. _The Sixth Sense Tavern, Tavern of the Heavenly Maiden, The Frog's Eye, Wisdom and Truth Tavern… _

He was going to murder Rocky when he saw him again.

That is, of course, assuming Naraku didn't get to him first.

**After visiting the fourth tavern,** he wearily made his way into the Wisdom and Truth Tavern. The first two taverns didn't have any women employed (what kind of tavern was that? He wondered how the owners made any money), the third had three little girls working as waitresses—but they only looked about nine or ten; sisters, was his guess. The fourth employed to young women who looked to be in their twenties, but they were definitely were not the women Rocky was talking about. T

_"So, what's your opinion of this war, miss?" he asked the shorter of the two, giving her his most charming smile._

_ "Hm?" she smiled coquettishly. "What war are you talking about, mister?"_

_ "Uhh… the one our country's currently involved in? You know, how we're trying to drive the Russians out of our country?"_

_ "Russians?"_

_ "As in, from __Russia__?"___

_ "Isn't that in __Africa__ somewhere?"_

_ "No, stupid, it's next to __England__." The taller one now smiled at Kouga. "Can we get you anything to drink, mister?"_

_ "No… no thanks." 'I'll take you up on that offer after I bang my head against the wall a couple of times…' _

"This HAS to be the one," he muttered. He pushed open the swinging door and let his eyes adjust to the dim lighting. 

"Be with you in a minute!" a female voice called out. "Go sit down and make yourself comfortable."

"Thanks," Kouga called back in the general direction of the voice. 

The place was fairly clean for a drunk house—the floors were a shiny wood, and candles on the walls sent flickers of light across the walls. Little round tables were placed cozily in the open space of the room, although the presence of benches against the wall suggested that the open space was sometimes used as a dance floor. Only a few men were present; there was a group playing a rather rowdy game of cards, two old men talking in quiet tones, and a couple in the corner. The place was a little too deserted for his taste, but he didn't have time to wait for things to get busy. He had to find this wench, get her the assignment, then find Rocky again. He'd warned Kouga that he had a "gut feeling" that the Black Mask was going to try something soon.

He sat down at one of the tables, far enough away from the other customers that his conversation wouldn't be overheard. He drummed his fingers on the table and absently wondered what the tavern wench he was supposed to train would be like, when out of the back room emerged none other than…

Ayame.

_Ayame__! What the hell is she doing here? Oh crap—this is HER village? _He winced. He'd never actually seen the place in the daylight. He'd met her on the road, traveling from one city to the next. After that, all their rendezvous had been under the cover of night. Her father was a rather prosperous merchant, and only wanted the best for his daughter—which included a rich husband. No less than three generations of wealth.

Then what the name of Buddha was she doing working in a tavern? 

…

_Ohhhh__, no.__ Oh no. No way in hell, Rocky. There is absolutely NO WAY that Ayame can be the contact— _

She was walking in his direction. "May I help you, sir?" she said, smiling.

"Um, yes, please…" Did she not recognize him? Sure, he'd lost the headband, his clothes were different, and he'd used some of his youkai powers to un-point his ears… but he didn't look _that _different. "I'd like some sake—mild."

"Mild?" she repeated playfully. "A strong, powerful man like you? I would have thought you'd order an extra jolt. Especially," she added in a softer tone of voice, "since you'll have to deal with a certain young lady who feels quite neglected."

He relaxed. So she did recognize him. Not that he'd ever doubted… "Are you free later?" he asked in a low voice.

She stiffened almost imperceptibly. 

"Unless," he quickly added, that sinking feeling coming back into his stomach. "You have a previous engagement."

"Sort of," she mumbled, fiddling with a strand of her auburn hair. "I'm sorry, Kou—"

"Watch it!"

"I'm sorry…um…Wolfe. I have to meet someone soon. Could we make it tonight?"

"I won't be here tonight…"

"Oh." Her shoulders slumped a bit. "Oh well," she said, trying to smile, "at least I got to see you, ne? It seemed extra long this time."

"I know," he muttered, drumming his fingers on the table again. "I was…busy. With work. Couldn't find time to get away—you understand, right?"

"Of course," she said swiftly. "But then, that doesn't make the longing go away."

"No…" He looked up into her green eyes. He hated to ask the question, but he _had _to know. "This person you're expecting to meet—is it a man?"

"I…well…actually, I don't know," she admitted. "But I—" She glanced around the tavern, and seeing as no one was paying a lick of attention to them, said, "Ah, screw it," and sat down in the chair beside Kouga. "You see—I've never met the person. It's an arranged meeting. Business," she added.

"I see." That pit in his stomach was getting bigger… "So, Ayame, what is your opinion of this war?"

"My opinion? Of the war?" her eyebrows arched upwards. "Whatever makes you ask that?"

"I just wanted to know. Do I need an excuse for asking such a question?"

"Well, I _am _only a woman. Aren't women supposed to stay out of men's affairs?" She smiled ruefully.

_Stop dodging the question and answer it. _"Look, Ayame…there's no delicate way for me to say this. I'm going to be blunt, okay?"

"Okay…"

"I, too, am here to meet someone."

"Oh." At his silence, she asked, "A woman?"

"Yes."

"Oh." Her tone got a little cooler. "Well, don't let me keep you, then." She stood. "Is this the reason you haven't visited in over a month?"

"I…hey, what?" Dammit, she was taking this the wrong way! "Wait, Ayame, sit down!"

"It's okay, Kouga. I understand. We never see each other anyway… long-distance relationships are always hard…"

"Dammit, woman, stop talking like I'm breaking up with you and freaking listen to what I'm trying to say!"

Ayame waited expectantly.

He took a deep breath and said under his breath, "Rocky sent me."

Ayame stared at him and then sat down hard into one of the chairs as realization dawned on her. "Rocky, you say?"

"Yes."

"He wouldn't happen to be…leopard demon…would he?" she whispered.

He didn't know the pit in his stomach could have gotten any deeper. "Yes, he would."

She let out a gust of air and slumped into the back of the chair. "Ah, crap…"

_My thoughts exactly._

**_Dammit_****_, _**_dammit__, dammit! _ The soldiers had reached the field hospital before he had. They'd better not do anything to that Higurashi wench—his future depended on her!

…

Now _there_ was a worrisome thought…

**Kagome jumped as a loud bang,** followed by several screams, echoed throughout the warehouse. _Oh no—_

Loud gunfire erupted, the sparks and fire illuminating the stream of soldiers flooded into the warehouse, fully armed. Kagome let out a shriek as she watched the soldiers beat down the nurses closest to them, then fire their guns at the wounded soldiers. "Oh God!"

Complete mayhem erupted. Nurses and doctors tried to scramble away from the soldiers, save the patients, and shout pleas of mercy at the same time. The din ricocheted of the metal walls of the building, adding to the chaos.

"Stop! Stop this instant!" A doctor brushed past Kagome, running straight towards the mass of Russians.

Kagome's head snapped around. "No, Hojo!"

"This is a hospital! We're medics—neutrals! Cease your fire!"

"Idiot! They don't speak Japanese!" she yelled after him, but he didn't seem to hear her. "Hojo, stop! They'll think you're trying to threaten them—"

"Save the patients!" Kagome miraculously heard Kitosumo's voice through the mad jumble of screams, shouts, and gunshots. "Don't just stand there, you blockheads, do something! Start evacuating! See if you can hold off the Russies—"

_Start evacuating, huh? _Kagome resisted the urge to stick her tongue out. _You hypocritical baka._ She looked down and stared at the two-hundred-something pound man with the two amputate legs. "I'm supposed to carry you outside?"

Unconscious men have a tendency not to answer…

"Fine," she huffed, bending down and hooking her arms under the man's torso. "I'll just…heft you over my shoulders…like…_umph__!_…this…" She took three steps before stopping and panting. "Great…this could take a while…"

**"Damn you!" Sango shouted,** socking the soldier in the stomach before slamming him into the wall. The man slid lifelessly towards the floor. She huffed and retied the apron strings the man had undone. Wouldn't it figure that she would be near the front entrance when those soldiers had burst in?

Another two soldiers were running towards her. Her muscles tightened, and she arranged herself in a fighting stance, blocking the wounded patient lying on the floor behind her from view. "Come and get me," she snarled. 

The two men looked at each other and laughed. They didn't look to be too much older than her. The taller one made the shape of a woman's figure with his hands; the other soldier laughed appreciatively and jabbered something in Russian.

"You think that's funny, you perverts? I'll give you funny!" Sango scooped up the unconscious soldier, got a firm hold on his on his torso, then threw him straight at the two leering soldiers. The one saw his dead comrade coming, and gave a cry and ducked. The second had a slower reaction; he only made a garbled noise as the soldier flew into his face and knocked him to the ground. Sango nodded in satisfaction as his head _thunked_ against the ground, knocking him out.

"See that? That's what'll happen to you, too!" she told the standing soldier.

He scowled, not laughing anymore. He shouted something at her and cocked his gun.

Sango took a sharp intake of air. "Hey, no fair using guns! Would you really shoot an unarmed woman?"

He smirked and said something in a snide tone of voice as he rested the butt of the gun on his soldier, taking aim. 

_Run!_ Sango leaped to the side as the gun exploded. She gasped as she saw two bullets strike the wall; just where she had been standing a few seconds before. "How dare you!"

He frowned and swung his gun to where she was now, aiming again.

"You—you low-down coward! How does it feel, trying to murder innocent women?" She gave a little shriek as a bullet whizzed past her ear. Damn, she was trapped! She couldn't rush towards him and try to wrestle the gun away, because he'd shoot her before she got in a five-foot radius. She cried out again as she saw him pull the trigger. She threw herself to the ground, feeling the heat of the bullet a few feet above her.

"Leave her alone!" Sango looked up to see a brunette doctor rushing towards the Russian soldier. The Russian rolled his eyes and fired. Sango screamed as the doctor jerked and fell backwards, blood staining his white doctor's coat. The Russian laughed and pointed the gun towards her again.

_Thwack! _The soldier winced in pain and fell to his knees, his hand going up to where his head had been struck with a staff.

"Houshi-sama!"

He yelled something at her that she couldn't hear. "What?"

"_I said_—" he gave a cry of pain and fell to his knees. The Russian soldier had jammed the butt of his gun into the monk's stomach.

The Russian groaned and looked up at Sango, hatred distorting his face. He shakily raised the gun to his shoulder again.

Sango fumbled around behind her, searching for something to throw at him—_anything, anything!_ Her hand grasped something hard and she brought it around to see—

"Akk!" she cried, dropping the amputated leg bone in front of her. Where had _that _come from?!

The Russian laughed.

"You—" She grabbed the bone and threw it at his head. _"Hiraikotsu!"_ The bone struck the man in the face, stunning him for a moment. She seized the chance and rushed forward and grabbed the gun, trying to wrestle it out of his grasp. The soldier held on tight and kicked her in the shin.

"So you want to play _dirty_, huh?" she taunted, kicking him in the groin, and then snorting as he doubled over. "You men—all the same." She ripped the gun out of his hands and brought it down hard on his head. The man didn't move again.

"Lord, woman," Miroku said, his purple eye wide with awe. "Are you really a nurse?"

She grinned and lifted the gun again, taking aim at a soldier a few yards away with his back turned. "Just you remember, monk—" _Ready_—"this is what will happen to you—" _Aim_—"if you ever get it into your head to bother me again!" _Fire!_ She pulled her arm back and threw the gun towards the man. The gun turned over itself, spinning in the air like a giant boomerang until it hit its mark. 

"Bulls-eye!" she crowed. 

"God preserve us," Miroku mumbled.

** "Move it!" InuYasha swiped** at yet another soldier with his claws, not bothering to see if he'd hit his mark. There were soldiers swarming all over the hospital! Low-down bastards knew how to play it dirty—wipe out all the doctors and nurses and loose twice as many men; it was an effective way of hitting the enemy hard. 

Where _was _that wench? No one would notice her absence in this chaos—he could just grab her and run, if he wanted. 

InuYasha spotted a dark-haired man in robes fighting off five soldiers with nothing but a staff. He was back-to-back with a nurse, who was alternating between throwing kicks and lobbing corpses at soldiers.

_Well…to each his own… _

InuYasha sighed as a handful more of soldiers joined the fight, outnumbering the man three-to-one now. He leapt from behind and smashed the heads of a few together, and knocked out the rest with his fists. "No fair ganging up."

The man blinked at him, his staff frozen in position to hit. "Merciful Buddha…"

InuYasha took notice of the phrase; he glanced down at the man's robes. "Houshi-sama?"

"Hai?"

InuYasha cocked a brow as he watched the monk's hand inch toward the nurse's rear… He smirked as the woman spun around, slapped the monk, and promptly returned to throwing bodies at the Russians. "I hope Buddha has pity on your soul."

"Arigato," the monk said, wincing as he rubbed his smarting cheek.

_One down, one to go._He'd talk to the new contact later. He had a woman to find…

He raced through the hospital, weaving through fights and occasionally knocking out a few soldiers. _Where the hell did that wench hide herself? You wouldn't think it would be so hard to find one blasted woman. _ His head spun around and he did a double-take. Her scent was near…

He found her with her back up against the wall, valiantly trying to fight off a Russian soldier. From the amused smile on the Russie's face, he was playing with her. Lord knew that if he really wanted to kill her, he could pull out that gun strapped to his back.

Not that he blamed the poor man. InuYasha wagered the soldier hadn't seen a female in over a year. Poor military chumps.

InuYasha headed towards the fight. A man could be entertained by a woman trying to kill him for only so long.

** Kagome was growing desperate.** The soldier didn't seem to be tiring, and it didn't look as if he was planning on leaving her alone. She'd managed to get the legless man and a soldier with a head wound hidden in a nearby grove of trees; on her way back into the hospital, she'd met up with this monster.

Where was Sango? Was she safe? What about the head nurse, Kaede? And where in heaven's name was Hojo? She'd known him for all of one hour, but that was enough to realize he was hopelessly idealistic and terribly naïve. Weren't those the kind of men who were killed first?

She flinched at her thoughts. She felt bad for thinking in such a way. Hojo was nice, after all, pretty cute, too…

Kagome gasped and stars flickered before her eyes. Her mind had wandered, and the Russian had gotten a blow to her head. The man snickered and tried to plant a kiss on her cheek.

"Why, you—! Get the hell away from me!" She drew back her fist and was about to smash it into his face, but he caught her hand in his grasp. She struggled to get away, but he only laughed. 

_Okay, he's asking for it. _ She closed her eyes and centered her focus, taking deep breaths at steady intervals. _Concentrate…concentrate… _She felt the energy well up inside of her, the heat growing, expanding…

Then suddenly the pressure on her wrist was released. Kagome opened her eyes, and found that the soldier had disappeared. She felt a twinge of disappointment. She would have taken a sort of sadistic pleasure in seeing the baka sizzle.

"You!" she cried. In front of her was the white-haired soldier, the man who had asked her to take care of the Russian boy. In front of him was the soldier who had been harassing her, now unconscious. She looked for some kind of weapon on the white-haired man, but she didn't see any. Was the man a martial artist of some kind? "What are you doing here?"

The white-haired man scowled. "And this is the thanks I get for saving your hide?"

"I had things well under control, thanks," snapped Kagome. "I could have handled him."

"Sure, sure," he replied sarcastically. "And that's why you had your eyes closed while a sword was hovering over your head."

"While a sword—?" She glanced down and noticed the Russian's rapier in his hand. "Oh…" She suddenly felt lightheaded. Suppose she hadn't released the energy quick enough? Still…she wasn't too thrilled about being shown up by this macho man. "Arigato," she said grudgingly.

"Don't mention it," came the cynical answer. He glared at her with those golden eyes. "Why are you still in this warehouse? I would have thought that you'd have run to safety by now."

She stiffened. "And just what exactly are you implying? That I'm a coward?"

He rolled his eyes. "No, that you had a few shreds of common sense left, but excuse me for making assumptions. My mistake." There came that smirk again.

Kagome's temper flared. "Look, Mr. Smart-Ass, you have my gratitude for saving my life, but that doesn't give you the prerogative to insult me! I don't even know who the heck you are! Are you a soldier? What happened to your uniform? You're AWOL, aren't you?" She crossed her arms, thoroughly ticked off. "And what are you staring at?!"

"Don't move."

The terse reply caught her off guard. "Huh?"

"Behind you." He grinned a bit, showing off a pair of pointed canines. "Let's see what you got, Miss I've-got-this-under-control."

"Nani?" She spun around to find what looked like an Italian mercenary directly behind her, a knife in hand. "And what the heck do you think _you're_ doing?" she shouted, dodging his strike. He lunged again, this time nicking the fabric of her dress around her waste.

Kagome took a sharp breath and felt her temper snapped. She was sick of this crap already! This time she didn't even try to concentrate the energy. Her anger flared up and she released the energy. A ball of pink energy blasted the man off his feet—at the same time his was torn apart by a pair of claws. The cry of "SANKON TESSOU!" reached her ears a moment later.

She stared at the mutilated body of the man in shock. In the chaos, no one had even noticed the duo of strange occurrences. Her head whipped around to glare accusingly at the white-haired man, who seemed to be studying her just as intently. Her eyes wandered upward and widened at a sight that she couldn't believe she'd overlooked before…

"Wh-what are _those?_"

Two little triangular-shaped ears were sitting on top of the white-haired man's head. They flicked towards her, as if to confirm the oddness of their presence. Kagome's mind suddenly clicked. White hair on a man not much older than she…dog-ears…the way he jumped out of the window…

"What the hell!? You're a _demon_?!" 

_ 'Aw damn—she's a miko!'_

**A/N: **hello again! Big thanks to all who reviewed – they seriously do inspire me, so the more you review, the more I write! Ja ne!

Oh….. does anyone know how to say "you're welcome" in Japanese? ;-)


	4. Carried Away

**Charade**

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**Chapter Four: CARRIED AWAY**

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_"The trees that whisper in the evening::Carried away by a moonlight shadow::Sing a song of sorrow and grieving—Carried away by a moonlight shadow._"  
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**The two were frozen in a tableau.**  Kagome staring at InuYasha's ears, he staring back at her.

     _She's a miko!  _He internally groaned.  _Just like Kikyo—and just as powerful, it seems.  Damn.  Better not piss this one off._

 Kagome moved forward, as if in a trance, her hands outstretched.  _So—cute!  Must…touch…  _She reached upwards… and started to pet the little ears sitting on top of his head.

     InuYasha jerked backwards.  "What the—?"  His eyes rolled upwards and he flicked his ears.  _Crap, the concealment spell must have worn off!  _He hurriedly mumbled a few words under his breath, letting out a small sigh of relief when he felt the familiar tingling sensation that occurred whenever his ears became invisible. 

     His eyes flicked towards Kagome.  _And it seems THAT spell has just worn off too…_

     Kagome's fascinated gaze had morphed into a death glare when the adorable doggy ears suddenly disappeared.  "I think you have some explaining to do, buddy," she said.  "Starting at: who in the name of sanity are you?" 

     "That's not relevant."

     "What are you doing back at the hospital?  And why were you, a _demon_, in the uniform of the Japanese Army?"

     "Is there a law saying demons can't be enlisted in the army?" he growled.  "Or is that just your personal bigoted opinion speaking?"

     "Excuse me!"  Kagome stamped her foot.  "I'm not stupid, you know.  Most demons wouldn't join the army if they were promised eternal life.  You all believe human wars are stupid and petty—especially this one.  You'd rather fight within your own little secret resistance groups—"

     "So now you're the new expert on demons?" InuYasha snarled.  "Where did you learn all this—the _newspaper_?"

     "Well—" Kagome blinked.  "Yes…"

     "Figures," InuYasha muttered.  Typical.  She may look like Kikyo—and she may be a miko like Kikyo—but it seemed that was where the similarities ended.  "I don't know why I'm even bothering."

      "Bothering to do what?"

     "Never mind," he said angrily.  "You know what really ticks me off?  Brainy medical types who think they've go the world all figured out.  Especially humans.  Superior race, my ass."  He cracked his knuckles, a scowl forming on his face.

     "You're biased," Kagome shot back, her eyes flashing.  She had to yell to be heard over the din.  "Of course you would be prejudiced towards humans—because you're not one!"

     "Yes, I am."

     "Right.  And gullible's written on the ceiling."

     "Huh?" InuYasha glanced upwards, then back at a now incredulous Kagome.  "What the hell are you talking about?"

     "Never mind." 

     _Have I completely lost my mind?_ she thought in irritation.  She was standing in the middle of a gigantic fight-to-the-death scene between her people and the Russians, arguing with a hot demon over—well she didn't quite know what they were arguing about.  She didn't even know who the man was.  The only thing she _did _know was that he'd just saved her life.  And he was a demon.  In a Japanese Army uniform—with no good explanation why.

     He was dangerous. 

     "Thank you for saving my life," she said grudgingly, ignoring the suspicious glance he sent her.  "But I must get back to my duties now."  She turned and walked away, calling over her shoulder, "Try not to get yourself killed!  Because I probably won't be there to 'fix you.'"  Then she disappeared into the crowd.

     InuYasha gaped after her, dumbfounded. 

     Well… that wasn't supposed to happen…

     He jumped into the place in the crowd where he'd seen the wench disappear.  _Never_ let it be said that InuYasha let his opponent away from an argument with the last word.    

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**     "No.  Absolutely not.  **I forbid you."

     "You can't tell me what to do!"

     "Watch me!"

     "This isn't your choice to make, Kouga!  Either you directly disobey Rocky's orders, or I find someone _else _to train me!"

     "Like hell you will!"

     _"Watch me," _she snarled, echoing Kouga's previous words.   

     "Ayame, I am not going to put you in this kind of danger."

     "Fine.  Then don't.  Your mission is complete."  She grabbed her apron off the hook and tied it back on her waist with jerky movements.  The two were concealed in the deserted kitchen of the bar.  Most people weren't who were willing to drink at this time of the morning weren't big on eating.  "Goodbye, Kouga.  Don't expect to see me any time soon."

     "Hold it!"  He jumped in front of the door, blocking her only means of exit.  "This conversation isn't finished!"

     "It was finished the moment you decided to play the overly-protective chauvinistic male.  'War is not for women, it's too _dangerous_.  Women can't feel _patriotism_, oh no, that's only a _masculine _reaction.  Women can't serve their country, because their delicacy would hinder them from actually being any use', isn't that so?"

     Kouga literally felt the sarcastic blows.  "Don't throw this out of proportion, Ayame," he growled.  "If you're so patriotic about helping your country, why are you joining the side of the youkai?  We're the underdogs this time; the Prime Minister absolutely hates us.  I can assure that if we win this war, and effectively keep the Russians from eradicating the youkai race, the minute after the peace treaty is signed, the Prime Minister will turn around and order several acts or decrees that will alienate us in some way."

     "And as a human, I can't understand your pain or want to help your cause?"  She glared at him.  "Great combination you've got here, Kouga!  Female and human!  No wonder you don't want me as part of your gang."

     "It's not 'my gang.'"

     "Why do you have such a problem with me being a contact?  It's not like I'm going to be going on _dangerous, life-threatening missions _like you do."

     "Don't do this, Ayame."

     "Don't do what?  Make you feel guilty?" she was nearly shouting now. 

     "Keep your voice down.  Someone might—"

     "They're too drunk to hear us, if anyone actually noticed us come in here.  This is why my position is idea for contact work."

     "Ayame, I know—I _know_."  He let out a breath.  "I just don't like the idea of putting you in danger."

     "Because I can't take care of myself?"

     "Did I say that?  Lord, woman," Kouga sighed in frustration.  He looked away.  "Can you blame a man for wanting to keep someone special to him safe?"

      Ayame couldn't find a quick comeback to that.  Even if it the sentiment was cliché, it was touching to hear.  "Look, Kouga, I appreciate your concern.  But I _am _going to do this, and there's nothing you can do to stop me."  She shoved him out of the way and yanked open the door.

     "So you choose war over love?"

     She stilled, but kept her back turned.  "Do I have to choose between one and the other?"

     "You can't have both.  You can't serve two masters." 1

     "So what is it you've been doing with me this whole time?  You claim to love me; but am I inferior to your youkai cause?  Kouga, you didn't even feel the need to tell me you were youkai!"

     He glared at her, his anger apparent.  Just what exactly _was _he doing?  What would he do if he had to choose between Ayame and his work?  The Youkai Espionage Channel demanded his full loyalty.  There was no room left for love.  Love was a weakness.  Look at what happened to Hanyou.  He had loved that bitch, and she turned around and started working for the Black Mask—and now Hanyou had a price on his head.

     Not that he was comparing Ayame to that witch—there was no basis for comparison—but it was the underlying message he was looking at.  Love caused problems.  He couldn't deny that Ayame had been on his mind all week.  What if during a life-or-death instant, he hesitate because of Ayame?  He owed his full self to the youkai cause… it wouldn't be fair to make Ayame second best.  She deserved more than that.

     "I can see that I am.  Inferior, I mean."  She expelled a breath.  "Kouga… I understand.  Like you, my allegiance lies with my country.  Maybe…maybe we should put this…'relationship' I guess you could say…on hold until this war ends.  It will be far too distracting for the both of us."  __

     He set his jaw.  He knew the truth, and so did she… but he didn't want to give her up.  She meant too much to him.

     And that was what scared him.  Perhaps it _was_ for the best to—to put their relationship on hold.  He smiled gently at her turned back.  "So then, no hard feelings between us?"

     He heard a small sob break from her throat.  "None whatsoever."

     Kouga looked towards her and restrained himself from wrapping his arms around her and planting a kiss on her head.  Much as he longed to, he knew it would only make things worse.  He wanted nothing more than to reassure her that he had feelings for her, feelings that could develop into love at some point… but why raise her hopes after he'd just dashed them down?  Suppose something did happen to him…  It was best to leave things as they were.

     "Well… bye then," he said softly, reaching for the doorknob and turning the door. 

     Ayame's head swung around, her face set, but her eyes pleading.  Something turned within his stomach, but he only opened the door wider.  He winked at her.  "Ja ne."

     Then he was gone.

     _Kouga__… _She watched him stride out of the bar, as if he hadn't a care in the world.  _You didn't even ask if I had any information for you. _

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**     The crowd was beginning to thin out.  **Not that this was necessarily a good thing, Kagome thought as she stepped over the corpses littering the floor.  She swallowed hard, her mouth gone dry.  She'd heard stories of battle sites and the absolute horror that descended over the battlefield…but... she hadn't expected to see a massacre like this… and in a hospital, at that!

     She shook the thoughts out of her head.  The wounded and dying needed her help.  She was a nurse.  That was what she was here for. 

     She stopped in mid-step and scanned the area around her feet.  None of the men seemed to be alive…  She widened her scope of vision and spotted a man not to far away.  Although the crowd was thinning, the room was by no means any less chaotic.

     She was actually amazed she was still alive.

     She jerked at the direction of her thoughts.  _Don't start thinking like that, now!  _She pushed her way through the crowd towards the soldier before she could have any more wonderful thoughts.  She learned that if she focused her attention on one goal, all other thoughts were effectively blocked out…

     She stooped down and clasped her hands around the soldier's torso, just as she'd been doing earlier—before she'd been distracted.  By the white-haired man—no, demon.

     She unconsciously shivered.  That guy gave her the creeps—just what was he anyway?  A demon in the uniform of the Japanese Army, walking around with a Russian soldier.  Who claimed he was human.  Smirking at her one minute, threatening to kill her the next.  And she'd only been with him all of half an hour.

     _What entertaining stories I'll have to tell once this war is over_, she thought cynically, as she began to pull the wounded man towards the nearest door.  She wondered how many men had already been evacuated—and how many had died because of the invasion?

     "Higurashi!"

     She jumped, but didn't stop dragging the man.  "What do you want?"

     "That's a fine way to talk to your superior," Kitosumo said, appearing next to her.  "And just what do you think you're doing?"

     "Evacuating…"

     Kitosumo sighed wearily, and dragged a hand over his face.  "Miss Higurashi.  Tell me something.  Did you not notice the slaughter that is occurring at this very moment?"  As if to prove his point, a sword flew from the air and landed next to him.  Kitosumo didn't even bat an eye; he stooped to pick it up.  "I'm amazed you even found one living man.  The rest of the hospital staff is on their way to the next village.  We'll set up a new hospital there, and return for the wounded after the fight it over."  He lobbed the sword in his hands.

     "But…but…" Kagome's mouth opened and closed like a fish.  "But—these men are _dying! _They need care immediately!  And you're just going to abandon them?!"

     "Miss Higurashi," he said calmly.  "As the head doctor, it is my job not only to care for the dying—but for the living.  In this case, the living need to be escorted to safety.  Those in between this world and the next we shall worry about later."

     The man had his priorities mixed up.  Wouldn't those about to leave this world be more important?  "But sir—!"

     "Higurashi, leave this building this instant.  That's an order.  I'm short enough on nurses as it is.  I don't need to lose any more."  With that, he strode away, swinging his sword at a Russian who tried to stop him.

      Kagome stared after him, furious.  _Jackass_.  She promptly ignored his order and resumed dragging the man outside.  If she could tend his wounds and get him conscious, then she could send him towards the next village on his merry way; and she could go back inside and save another man.

     "Do you always make a habit of disregarding your boss's instructions?"

     For the second time, Kagome nearly jumped out of her skin.  This time, it was the monk that had startled her.  "Only when it's Doctor Kitosumo giving the orders."

     He smiled grimly.  "I don't blame you.  I thought a doctor's job was to preserve life—not throw it away."  He looked down at the man in Kagome's arms.  "Let me take him.  I'm stronger than you, and I can pray for his soul at the same time."

     "But…he's wounded—"

     "Don't worry.  I have some medical knowledge.  You can't work in a field hospital for this long and not pick up a few things."  He sighed inaudibly, and slung the man over his shoulder, leaving Kagome's arms empty.  He turned to look at her, his indigo eyes troubled.  "Higurashi… I have something I want to tell you."

     "Yes?"

     He hesitated, a frown crossing his face as he stared off to the side.  "Did you ever read the play _Othello_?It was written by some English playwright a couple of centuries ago."

     "Actually—yes it I did.  I had to read it for my foreign language studies."

     "Did you enjoy it?"

     "Not particularly…"

     "Do you remember the character Iago?"

     "The villain?"  She cracked a smile.  "Of course.  'I am not what I am.'"

     The monk regarded her with an unreadable expression on his face.  "Exactly."  He bowed.  "Go with Buddha."  Then he walked away, the soldier still slung over his back.

     Kagome watched him leave, a bewildered expression on her face.  What was _that _all about?  Did men have some adverse reaction to war that made them go whacko?

     She shrugged slightly.  The guy was a monk: it was his job to confuse people.  She turned and gasped as a bullet whizzed by, missing her head by inches. 

     _Don't forget where you are and what you have to do_, she scolded herself, still breathing heavily.  Tentatively, she moved forward, scanning the ground for any signs of life.  It _was _rather hard to pick out who was dead and who was alive when bodies were falling to the ground all around her.

     _Steady.  Breathe._

     Her breath caught in her throat as her eye picked out a bit of white over in a pile of bodies.  A doctor's coat?  She carefully picked her way through the mass, keeping her eye on the white.  Kitosumo said he didn't want to lose any more nurses… did he mean doctors too?

     _Of course he did, you idiot.  It's not as if the medics are protected by some all-powerful force because we're neutrals—or supposedly… _

     She knelt down next to the pile and gently turned over the body to which the coat belonged to—and froze.

     "Hojo-kun!"

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     **InuYasha**** watched as the monk **whispered something to the Kikyo look-a-like and then walk away with the wounded soldier.  Kikyo-but-not-quite stood still for a moment, then turned and walked back into the mayhem.  He shook his head.  She must have a death wish or something.

     He mentally slapped himself.  She was a miko.  She could fry anyone she wanted with that electrifying pink stuff. 

     Well, he may as well talk to the monk now and get things over with.  He grabbed the nearest body on the ground and sprinted to catch up with the purple-clad man.  "Oy, Houshi."

     "Yes?"  The monk didn't even spare him a glance.  The two passed through the doorway and stepped out into the night.  "What is it?"

     "I—I'm worried about my soul.  Could we talk for a moment?"  InuYasha glanced upwards.  _That wasn't technically a lie, so don't damn me to hell right now, all right?  _

     "Of course.  Let me tend to this man first."  They stopped a good fifty meters away from the hospital, near a grove of trees.  InuYasha could see that hidden within the grove were at least fifty wounded soldiers.  He didn't see how moving them outside would help.  Once the Russians finished their slaughter within the hospital, wouldn't the next step logically be to search the surrounding area?

      He sighed.  _Doctors.__  Hopeless. _

     The monk was praying over the soldier, his lips moving soundlessly.  However, InuYasha's ears perked up when he heard the monk mutter, "Ever heard of the Shikon Jewel?"

     "I—what?  Wait, do you know who I am?"

     "I do not know your name, but I do know that you are my contact from the Channel."  All this was said in a whisper; his eyes were still closed.  To anyone watching, it looked as if he was simply praying for the man.

     Suspicion settled within InuYasha's stomach.  This guy knew what he was doing.  "Oh really?  And how exactly did you figure this out?"

     "One, you look exactly like General Taisho.  I was warned beforehand that you were his brother."

     "By whom?"

     "None other than the head honcho himself." 

     "Oh yeah?"  InuYasha's eyes narrowed.  "What did he look like?"

     "Umm… black hair…dark, steely eyes…beard…"

     "And this effectively tells me nothing.  He changes his appearance daily."

     "You're the one who asked," the monk hissed.  "Two, I know the password."

     "The password—?"

     "Rocky said to tell you that Fluffy had a sex change and the wolf fell head over heels in love with a human."  The monk frowned, his eyes still closed.  "I am seriously second-guessing my decision at this point…"

     "Twit," InuYasha said contemptuously.  Leave it to Rocky to find another way to humiliate him.  "Anything to report?"

     "Sort of.  This may be old news, but one of the Lightning Brothers is working at the hospital.  You knew them at the military academy, correct?"

     InuYasha glared.  "How the devil did you know that?"

     "I have my ways."  His mouth twitched.  "The doctor has met with your brother—"

     "_Half-_brother."

     "—yes, him—several times in the past few weeks."

     InuYasha let out a breath.  "Has it been confirmed that the Lightning brothers are in league with Naraku?"

     "Repeatedly."

     "So.  Either Sesshomaru is in with Naraku or he's being duped by Hiten and Manten."

     "Or perhaps he's working for the Channel?"

     "Rocky would know if he was."

     "Is Rocky god or something?"

     "Yes."

     "Just checking."  He paused.  "Does Prime Minister Yoshida even know the General is demon?"

     "Sure.  He can smell him."

     "With that little demon blood?"

     So the priest _did_ know about the Prime Minister's blood.  InuYasha had deliberately not mentioned Yoshida's heritage.  Either Rocky had filled him in… or he was suspiciously well-informed.  "He actually has inu youkai blood in him.  Good sense of smell."

     "So why does he continue to let Sesshomaru work for him?  He hates youkai."

     "So he says."

     Mirkou snorted in disbelief.  "He's only bashed the youkai population in every speech he's made.  His hate's apparent.  Even you can't deny that."

     InuYasha shrugged.  "You never know what a man will do for power.  What if the scales tip after the war is over?  If youkai have the stronghold then, by god, the man will change loyalties." 

     Miroku was quiet for a moment.  "So what does this mean?"

     "It means that if Sesshomaru is supporting the Black Mask, the PM's in trouble."

     "And if he's not supporting the Black Mask?"

     "Then he's in trouble.  You don't mess with Naraku and walk away unscathed."

     "So what's our next plan of action?"

     InuYasha cracked his back.  "Up security measures on the Yoshida.  Sure, he hates youkai, but it's better than having Naraku in power.  Can you imagine how many massacres of humans will occur the minute the bastard sits his sorry ass on the throne?"

     "Must it be one or the other?"

     "Anyone else will be killed in the process."

     Miroku shook his head.  "I'm still not quite sure what part the Channel plays in all this."

     "At the moment, we're fighting against youkai prejudice and trying to keep our race from being obliterated."

     "Which is what will happen if Russia wins this war."

     "Correct."

     "And if Japan wins the war?"

     "Then we're faced with a civil war."  InuYasha laid down on the ground and put his hands beneath his head.  "Naraku or Yoshida will control the country, depending on who poisons whom first.  Naraku's been planning a superior youkai race for decades now.  This war just aids his cause."

     "Because more youkai become deluded after seeing the atrocities done to their population and join up with his 'glorious' cause?"

     "Exactly."  He breathed in the cool night air.  It felt good to be outside.  How long had it been since he'd actually sat still for more than five minutes?  He cast a swift look towards the man Miroku was "praying" over.  "Um…are you sure he's unconscious?  Cuz if he just overheard us…"

     "Of course not.  He's dead."  Miroku laughed grimly at the startled look on InuYasha's face.  "He died while Higurashi-sama was valiantly trying to drag him outside.  But don't tell her that," he added quickly. 

     "Don't want to traumatize the nurses?"

     "Even they have their limits."

     _Obviously_, he thought, thinking back to that pink explosion of power.  That was when he remembered something.  "Oy, monk," he said, pushing himself up into a sitting position.  "What was that you were saying about a jewel?"

     "Ahh… of course.  The Jewel of Four Souls.  Ever heard of it?"  Miroku was intently watching InuYasha, waiting for his reaction.

     "Shikon…shikon…"  InuYasha shrugged.  "Nope."

     Miroku rolled his eyes heavenward.  "You've never heard of the legend of the Shikon Jewel?  Like in the song?"  He hummed a few bars.

     "Oh, you mean like the lullaby?  Sure.  My mom used to sing it to me all the time way back when."

     Miroku pulled a hang over his face, but patiently said, "Did she really?  She was human?"

     InuYasha gave the monk a slanted look.  "What, demons aren't allowed to know that song?"

     "Well…it's traditionally a song sung by humans…so _is_ she human?"

     "What does the lullaby have to do with the previous discussion?" InuYasha unsubtly changed the subject.

    _ All right—so family's a closed subject.  _"The lullaby has nothing to do with anything.  But the jewel does."

     "Cut to the chase, bouzo; what the heck are you trying to say?"

     "Don't you remember the song at all?"

     InuYasha growled impatiently.  "Lord, Monk, you could drive a three-toed sloth to insanity."

     Miroku disregarded the strange comment.  "Sing the song for me."

     "That would be all well and good if I could sing…"

     "So chant the dang words!  Merciful Buddha!"

     "All right, all right, don't flip out."  InuYasha shifted uncomfortably and stingingly spoke the words of the song.  'The Jewel is life, the Jewel is death.  Accessed through strife, don't condone theft.  Mother is weeping, Pa simply frowned, sister is sleeping, brother just drowned.  Evil spreads like mold, good inches like sludge; till death do us part, but ne'er in this lifetime, my sweet; the jewel is my mistress—be careful who you meet.'  Happy?"

     "Overjoyed.  Now let's see if you can actually use those brain cells and analyze this simple 'children's' song."

     "What is this, high school lit class?"

     "Just do it."

     The hanyou scowled.  " 'The Jewel is life, the Jewel is death.'  Well, that's not cryptic at all."

     "This is no time to be sarcastic," said Miroku sharply.  "Think about it."

     "The jewel gives life?  And death?"

     "Very good!  Gold star for the hanyou!"

     "You mean that's it?  No hidden meaning?  No concealed second-degree metaphor?"

     "There's no such thing!"

     "Yeah, well…"

     " 'Accessed through strife, don't condone theft'?"

     InuYasha thought for a moment then tried, "You have to work to get it, but don't become a thief to obtain it?"

     "Good enough.  The next verse?"

     "Got me."

     Miroku sighed.  "Mother is weeping because her son has just died.  We assume it is because the other son's greed killed him.  Father frowns on the method of obtaining the jewel, and the sister has been put under a sleeping spell.  Both represent the great power of the jewel."

     "You philosophers are all the same," InuYasha murmured.   

     "Excuse me, I am a monk."

     "Same difference."

     "What do you think the next line refers to?"

     "I haven't the foggiest.  Why don't you enlighten me, O Wise One?"

     " 'Evil spreads like mold, good inches like sludge.'  The jewel is more easily corrupted than purified."

     "Okay…"

     " 'Till death do us part, but ne'er in this lifetime, my sweet; the jewel is my mistress, be careful who you meet.'  This refers to the eternal life that can be bought with the possession of the jewel.  It also speaks of its addictive power."

     "Monk…how is this relevant to anything at all?"

     "What would you say if I told you that the Jewel actually exists?"

     "I'd call you a few bricks short of the load."

     "As I expected.  Now, what if I told you that the jewel's existence has not only been confirmed countless times by reliable sources—I have the citation if you wish—but that Naraku is currently looking for it?"

     "Oh yeah?  And just who told you this?"

     "One of the Lightning brothers.  Hiten.  Also known as Doctor Kitosumo."

     "And he just waltzed up to you and handed you this information on a silver platter."

     "Of course not.  He told me during confession.  Never let it be said that this man of God ever refuses a willing repentant."

     InuYasha gaped at the purple-clad figure beside him.  "And you call yourself a holy man…"

     Miroku shrugged.  "I just tell myself to think of the good that will be done in the end."

     InuYasha suddenly jumped to his feet, Miroku's words finally registering.  "What did you just say?"

     "I asked, what would you say if I told you Naraku is currently searching for the Shikon Jewel—undoubtedly desiring the eternal life and enormous power?"

     "…Shit…"

     "Yeah, I thought so."

.

.

.

     **"Hojo-kun!**What happened to you?  Can you hear me?  _Hojo__!"_

     "Higurashi…"

     "Oh, god—"  The bullet had gone straight through his chest—missing his heart by millimeters.  By all rights he should be dead right now.  "What happened to you?  I'll bet you walked straight in front of a bullet to protect some patient!"

     "Close, but…not quite," he rasped, giving her a faint smile.  "Ironic, no?  The doctor, the life-giving, unable to heal himself."

     "Stop talking, you'll drain your energy," she ordered.  "I'm going to get you outside.  Hopefully that Kitosumo coward hasn't left yet—maybe he can operate on you before he migrates to a safer place."

     Hojo frowned up at her.  "Why haven't you left yet?"

     Kagome snorted as she lifted Hojo into her arms.  "That's a stupid question.  I'm a nurse, aren't I?"

     Hojo gave her a look that clearly said "I can't believe how naïve that sounded."

     Yeah, well, who was he to talk?   

     "Come on.  We're gonna get you outside."

     "You can't drag me out there all by yourself!" he protested feebly.

     "Yeah?  Watch this."  She took a few wobbling steps, then promptly fell backwards onto her rear.  "Oww…"

     "200 pounds solid muscle," Hojo said helpfully.

     "Thanks…"

     "Oy, wench!"  The white-haired man appeared out of nowhere, flying over a pile of corpses in a single leap.  "Good, you're still alive.  I need you to—"

     "Problem solved!"  Kagome shoved a flabbergasted Hojo into the man's arms.  "You're not doing anything important—help me get him outside."

     _Not doing anything important?!  _ He looked down at the doctor in his arms in aversion.  "Looks like all your superior medical knowledge couldn't save you from getting hit, ne?"

     "Oh shut up," Kagome said crossly.  "Just get the poor man outside."

     "Does this 'poor man' have a name?" InuYasha asked, throwing the white-coated man over his shoulder.

     "Hojo," the doctor rasped, wincing from the impact against InuYasha's back. 

     "Okay then, Hobo, let's get going."

     "That's _Hojo_," Kagome called after them.

     "Whatever.  Come on, wench, don't dawdle like that."

     "Go ahead, I'll follow you."  She'd stooped down next to another wounded soldier.  "We have to get as many outside as we…possibly…can…"  She stopped as InuYasha hefted that man over his shoulder as well. 

     "Any more?" he asked irritably.

     "Uh…yeah… try the whole building."

     He cursed under his breath.  The things he did for his country.  "Let's get started then."  It would be the only way to drag this wench away from the stupid field hospital.  Good lord, it was like pulling teeth.

.

.

.

     **Miroku's**** brow furrowed in puzzlement **as he regarded the lumpy shadow advancing towards him.  Was it some kind of demon?  He gripped his staff tighter and stood in front of the wounded.  Not all demons were as diplomatic as the ones involved in the Channel.  Could be one of Naraku's minions.  The hanyou was renowned for using stupider, less powerful demons to do his dirty work—mainly, kill off masses of humans at a time.

     The blob grew larger… and larger… Until Miroku realized it was his contact from the Channel—carrying five unconscious men.

     "I can't believe this!" a female voice carried across the grass.  "You must be carrying, what, over a ton of dead weight?  And you claim to be _human?!" _  

     "Tell the whole world, why don't you!" came the muffled shout.  Miroku stifled a laugh as his contact and Kagome-sama continued to argue back and forth.

     InuYasha unceremoniously dumped the bodies on the ground under the cover of the treed grove.  "There," he said with disgust.

     "Good."  Kagome nodded in satisfaction.  "At this rate, we'll have the whole hospital evacuated in less than half an hour."

     "_We?_" said InuYasha sourly.

     "Well…_you_…"

     "Guess again."  He leaned against a nearby tree, scowling at Kagome, who didn't quite notice the scowl; the moonlight was making his white hair almost glow, and his golden eyes seemed to burn with some kind of fire.  Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of him… which prompted her to think back to her first encounter with Doctor Kitosumo.

     _"He was beautiful, Sango!  I was walking downtown to scrounge up some lunch—I'd lost my money in a bet with Eri over which son our professor would brag about that day—and I wasn't really looking where I was going and I bumped into...guess who."_

_     "Hmm… how about Bankotsu, the really short but extremely hot new minister of defense?"_

_     "Wha—?  How did you know?!"_

_     …_

_     "You—you bumped into Shichinintai Bankotsu?!  THE Bankotsu?  The youngest Minister of Defense to date?  And not to mention the hottest?"_

_     "Yes!  I think my heart skipped a beat—"_

_     "Hearts do not skip beats," a cold voice cut in.  Sango and Kagome's excited chatter stopped abruptly as they turned to see the grumpy man with a long braid trailing down his back.  "If your heart skipped a beat, Nurse Whomever-you-are, then that would basically mean it stopped.  If your heart stops, you are classified as a stroke victim.  This effect towards handsome men would be your caught breath, which forces your heartbeat to beat more rapidly."_

_     Kagome stared at the man blankly.  She couldn't think of a word to say.  "Um… oh…"_

_     "In the future, Miss…?"_

_     "Higurashi."_

_     "—Miss Higurashi, it would be prudent if you considered what terminology you will use before it actually leaves your mouth.  I don't like my nurses to sound like nitwits."  With that, he continued down the hallway._

_     Sango sighed.  "The Devil Doctor burns yet another soul with his fire."_

_     "More like ice…"   _

     "Hello?  Hello!"  The white haired man was waving a hand in front of her face.  "Anybody home?"

     "Oh—hai—gomen ne," she apologized.  "I spaced out for a minute…"  She trailed off.  "What's that look on your face for?"

     "Duck!" he yelled towards the Miroku, at the same time throwing himself towards Kagome.  She gasped as she was thrown to the ground, the white-haired man's body on top of hers.  "What do you think you're doing?!  Pervert!" she shrieked, struggling to free herself.

     "Stay still!" came the sharp order.  "Stop it, stupid wench!  D'you want to be—"

     The sound of an explosion drowned out the rest of his words.  Kagome stared in open-mouthed shock as the field hospital combusted with a deafening bang and wickedly-high flames.  "_No!" _

     Miroku was already on his feet and sprinting towards the flame-engulfed warehouse.

     "Hey!  Hey, you, monk!  What do you think you're doing?  There's more where that came from—!"

     Another explosion shattered the night air.  Kagome closed her eyes, blocking out the horrific sight.  Was Miroku dead now too?

     She was suddenly yanked to her feet.  The white-haired man was regarding the damage with an unreadable look on his face.  "That's just the beginning," he said quietly.  "I have a feeling that in an hour this entire city is going to be under Russian control."

     "What?" cried Kagome.  "What do you mean?  How can you know that?"

     He gave her that look again.  "Come on, "he said, tugging her hand.  "Let's get out of here."

     "Let's?  What do you mean, _let's_?"

     "As in the grammatical contraction of 'let us.'"  He scooped her up into his arms, bridal-style, and began sprinting away from the field hospital.

     "What the devil do you think you're doing?  Let me go!"

     "Stop squirming."

     "Put me down and I'll stop squirming!  I need to be back there!  People could be dying!"

     "There's no way you could save any of them now," he told her, his voice uncharacteristically gentle.

     "What?  Why not?"  Her blood went cold at the look on his face.

     "There was poison gas in that explosion.  I can smell it," he added by way of explanation.  "Anyone who didn't die in the initial explosion is either already dead from the fumes—or will be burned to death."

     Kagome froze.  That couldn't be true!  What did he know?  What if he was lying?  He hadn't given her any reason to trust him!

     "You're lying," she said coldly.  "No one died.  You're spouting a load of bull."

     "You're entitled to your opinion." 

     "Just what are you hiding?  How did you know there was going to be 'more where that came from' and that the Russians will have the city in a mere hour?"

     "Let's just say I'm better informed than you are."

     Kagome stared at him long and hard, piecing all her jumbled thoughts together.  "Let me go—_now_."

     "Well aren't you the spoiled princess?  Sorry, wench, no can do."

     "You're part of the Black Mask, aren't you?"

     His eyes widened in shock and tripped over a random tree root, sending both of them sprawling onto the ground.  Kagome groaned and sat up, rubbing her tailbone.  "You couldn't have fallen a little more gracefully?" she grumbled.

     Her attempt at humor fell flat.  Demon boy was up on his feet already, glowering down at Kagome. 

     "Where—" he pulled her to her feet and grabbed both her shoulders with his hands, staring hard into her eyes—"did you hear that name?"

      She was in trouble now.  "Uhh—I—well—"  Her eyes widened.  "B-behind you—!"

.

.

.

     **Miroku**** slammed himself **against the steel door of the former warehouse, knocking it off its hinges.  He automatically gagged at the smell emanating from inside. 

     _Some kind of gas_, he thought grimly, forcing himself to move inside.  _Too bad my spiritual powers can't save me from poison gas as well.  _He chuckled a bit at his own joke, even though it wasn't the least bit funny.  Or maybe it was.  His form of whistling in the darkness, perhaps. 

     His eyes stinging, he moved forward, covering the lower portion of his face with the sleeve of his robe.  _Sango__—is she still in here?  _He'd only known her for about a day now, but he already felt an affinity with her.  And when they were fighting together…

     Miroku shook his head.  That had been an odd experience.  Miroku had always fought alone; one, because he was a skilled enough fighter that he didn't need anyone else, and two, he was somewhat of a loner.  He traveled alone, dined alone (except when he was in a restaurant with beautiful ladies), and slept alone. 

     Hell, for all the hentai he was made out to be, he'd never even set one foot in a brothel—ever.  Not counting his old childhood pal Haachi and his sage mentor, Mushin, he'd never really had any friends.

     _That's me—the lone wolf.  _He chuckled again.  With that title, he could claim to be wolf demon and become part of the Channel.

     There was that dang humor again…

     His thoughts again turned to more pressing matters, and he became sober.  He didn't see Sango anywhere.  He couldn't go much further into the warehouse without losing his life—he was barely hanging onto consciousness as it was.  Maybe she had already escaped?  Perhaps she'd even followed the other nurses and doctors that ran over to the next town after he'd left to go talk to the hanyou contact.   

_Just a quick look in that corner—then I have to get out.  I'm running out of air—my eyesight's nearly gone… _

     Everyone around him was dead.  He didn't see a single person still breathing—

     Wait.  That man over there.  Miroku ran over to him and threw him over his shoulders without hesitation.  His eyes darted toward the area he hadn't scanned yet as he ran for the door.  _Sango__—if you're over there—and still alive—hang on, please.  I'm coming!  _

.

.

.

     **"What's the matter _now_?" **InuYasha said impatiently, whirling around to see what had Kagome all worked up.  A tornado was approaching them at an alarming speed.  "Oh great," he moaned, "just what we need."

     _A tornado! _Kagome was shouting to herself.  _What gives?  And I suppose this is part of the Russians' brilliant new military tactic as well?  _She smiled wryly.    

     "What do you want, Wimpy Wolf?" the white-haired man growled at the tornado.

     _Great, he's not only demon, he's loony too.  _

      Then, just as she thought things couldn't get any weirder, the tornado suddenly disappeared, and in its place stood a rather handsome man with a long, black ponytail.  He flashed the white-haired man a smile.  "I'm rather surprised to see you here, Hanyou," he said conversationally.  "I thought you were out chasing that wench."

     _What wench? _Kagome thought.  _That Kikyo person he keeps talking about?  _She frowned at the thought.  _Does Kikyo work in the hospital too?  If so, then why was he so surprised to see me that first time? _

     "Shut it, Woflie," the man called "hanyou" threw right back, glancing towards Kagome.  He whispered something on the wind that Kagome didn't quite catch, but amazingly the other man heard.

     "Yeah, I was," he said dully.  "It was Ayame."

     The white-haired man stared at "Wolf" incredulously, then burst out laughing.  _"Ayame?" _he gasped between breaths.  "Oh, lord, that's priceless.  It must be karma.  You must have been a real renegade in your past life, Wimpy Wolf."

     "Which means I'm doomed in my next life," the other man laughed.  "Although I shudder to think of _your _fate."  He suddenly noticed Kagome. "Who's that?"  He ran towards her for a closer look—and stopped short, his face changing into a grimace. 

     "_You!_" he snarled, and lunged towards her.

     Kagome cried out in pain as the man's hands wrapped around her neck.  "You bitch," he breathed.  "How dare you show your face again after all the trouble you caused."  His hands squeezed tighter and Kagome fought for breath, black spots dancing before her eyes.

     "Moron, that's not Kikyo!" 

     The spots suddenly disappeared.  Kagome sucked in air, beautiful glorious air.

     The black haired man looked confused.  "Huh?"

     "This…is…not…Kikyo," the white haired man said slowly, as if explaining a difficult math problem to a child.  "This…is…is…um…"  He looked at Kagome for help.

     "Kagome," she supplied resentfully.  This was the second person now who'd threatened her because of her alleged resemblance to this Kikyo person.  If she ever met her, Kagome would give her a piece of her mind for causing so much trouble.

     "Oh.  No relation to Kikyo?"

     The white-haired man suddenly became alert.  Apparently he hadn't considered that option before.

     "I have no idea.  I'm adopted so anything's possible.  But I don't know her if that's what you're asking."

     "That's good enough for me."  The black-haired man flashed another killer smile.  "Kagome, hmm?  It suits you.  A beautiful name for a beautiful woman."

     "All right, Wolf, you can lay off the charm already.  She's coming with us, so you'll have plenty of time to make a move on her."

     "She's coming with us?" the black haired man said in surprise.  "What for?"

     "What do you mean I'm coming with you?" Kagome yelled.  "I'm not going anywhere!"

     The white-haired man ignore her.  "I'll explain later.  But I've got it all figured out."

     "Oh you have, have you?" the black haired man scoffed.  "That's rich."

     "Hel—lo!"

     The white-haired man crossed his arms and scowled at the black haired man.  "You'll see.  It'll all work out."

     "That's what you always say."

     Kagome tried again. "Yo, Hanyou!"

     That got a reaction out of him.  "What did you call me, bitch?"

     "Uh…sorry…it wasn't meant to be an insult.  I just heard him call you that and it's not like you've told me your name or anything…"

     "My apologies for being such a boor," the black-haired man said smoothly, taking her hands in his and fixing her with his blue gaze.  "I'm sorry I cannot divulge my true name to you, but you may call me 'Wolf.' That's what I've been dubbed at least."  He rolled his eyes.  "Original, no?  That over there is Hanyou—again, the name is pretty self-explanatory."

    "Hanyou?  You mean—he's half demon?"

    "Yes, milady," Wolf nodded.  "But fear not! for I am full youkai."

    "You're a demon?" Kagome said in surprise, belatedly noting the fangs and pointed ears.  "Are you part of the Black Mask too?"

     Wolf had the same reaction Hanyou did.  He swiftly let go of her hands.  "Where did you hear that name?"  He looked accusingly to Hanyou.  "Have you been spilling precious secrets to your lover's double?"

     "_Shut it_, you pathetic excuse for a demon.  I haven't told her a damn thing.  She sprung the same little question on me."

     "Did she now," said Wolf, casting a thoughtful glance towards Kagome.  "Interesting…" 

     _Lover?_Kagome thought.  _This Kikyo person is his _lover_?  Then why did he act so callous to me when he mistook me as her?  _She was horribly confused.

     "Okay, enough chit-chat," Hanyou said shortly. "We better get out of here before the Russians show up."

     "Yeah," agreed Wolf.  "I can already smell them coming.  I'd say they're less than an hour away."

     "Leave the scent analysis to the dog demons, Damned Wolf," Hanyou said.  "They'll be here in exactly fifteen minutes."

     "Trying to impress the lady now, are we?" murmured Wolf.

     "Shut the hell up."  Hanyou leaped towards Kagome and again picked her up bridal-style.  "Don't listen to a thing that lovesick fool says."  With that he began to run at an extremely fast pace, Wolf running just a little ahead of them in that weird tornado of his.

      "H-hey, wait!  Didn't I tell you that I wasn't going anywhere?"  When he didn't answer, she persisted, "Hanyou!  What are you planning to do with me?"

     He winced.  "It's InuYasha, okay?"

     Wolf's head swerved around to stare at the white-haired man in utter shock.  The white-haired man, who just called himself InuYasha, looked a little stunned himself.

     "InuYasha?" Kagome rolled the name off her tongue.

     "That's right."

     "That's a bad sign, Hanyou!" Kouga yelled from ahead.  "Telling the wench your real name?  Either you're planning to kill her or make her fill Kikyo's pla—"

     "Didn't I tell you to damned _shut it?!" _ 

.

.

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     **Miroku**** dumped the man **on the ground with the rest of the wounded patients.  He would come back for him later—at least he had clean air out here.

     He ran back into the hospital, again covering his face with his sleeve.  He coughed, his eyes and nostrils burning.  The flames had risen—and the gas was spreading.

     _Sango__, where are you? _he thought desperately.  He was already drenched in sweat.  He wiped his brow, pushing his bangs to the side.  He ran over to the corner he'd missed before, his eyes sweeping over the bodies littered across the floor.  _Please, please be here—alive. _

     Then, as if a sign from heaven, his eyes fell on a woman near the wall, her long, brown ponytail plastered against her back with—blood?

     _Merciful Buddha, please, let her be alive!  _

     Without even checking to see if she was alive, he scooped her up and ran outside, as fast as humanly possible.

     Panting when he finally reached the grove, he gently laid her down on the grass.  "Sango?  Can you hear me?"  With careful fingers, he pushed her sticky hair away from her face.  "Sango?" 

     He pressed his fingers against her wrist, praying like he'd never prayed before.  _Please, just keep this one alive.  I'm not sure why, but—just let her be alive.  _He let out a gusty sigh of relief when he found one—faint, but there.  "Arigato," he murmured.  

     She was breathing.  That was a start at least.  He sat back on his heels.  He should try to go back in and see if there were any others he should save—

     A loud crumbling and crunching noise put that idea to rest.  Miroku tensely watched as the entire building collapsed into a giant mess of burning rubble and bodies.  He bowed his head reverently and prayed for the souls of the many, many men and women who had lost their lives—innocents and guilty.

     He studied the woman laying beside him.  By some miracle she was still alive—that had to mean something.  Out of all those thousands of other people… perhaps there was some higher purpose in all this?

     She stirred.  Miroku leaned forward in anticipation, surprised that she would be moving so soon.  "Sango?"

     Her magenta orbs opened slowly and regarded him calmly.  "Houshi-sama?"

     "Yes."  He lifted her upper body onto his lap so she could breathe easier.  "Are you all right?"

     She nodded carefully.  "Yeah, I think so."  She took a shuddering breath and coughed a bit.  "Did you bring me out here?"

     "Yes."

     "Were you caught inside during the explosion also?"

     "No.  I was sitting right here in this grove."

     Her eyes met his.  "You went back inside?"

     "Yes."

     "Why?"

     He waited a moment before answering.  "I suppose because you were in there."

     She didn't flush like he expected her to.  "Is that the truth or just a line?"

     He looked down at her, his face deadly calm.  "Sango," he said seriously, "I may be a lecher and a delinquent priest—but I will never, ever tell you even a half-truth."

     She nodded absently, her hand going up to itch the back of her neck.  "Thank you, Houshi-sama," she replied, just as seriously. 

     He pushed her hair off her neck for her.  "I was quite amazed to find you alive, I admit.  Out of all those people, I only found one other person who appeared to be living.  Looks like you have a higher power in your favor."

     She smiled a bit, watching the flames flicker and dance on the rubble.  "It's not such a miracle.  I had a mask on to protect me from the gas, only the strings loosened and the mask fell off as I was trying to make my way to the door.  I'm guessing you found me soon after."

     "A mask?" he said curiously.  "Is that part of your nursing equipment?"

     She cast him a nervous glance.  "Eh…no…"

     His eyes narrowed.  "What are you not telling me, Sango?"

     She sighed.  "Someday, houshi-sama, I will tell you.  Just not today."

     He nodded in resignation.  "I guess I can live with that." His fingers carelessly brushed against the back her neck, but slowed as they ran over something that felt like—a scar?  He traced in down her neck towards her back…

     Her head swung around and she met his eyes with an angry glare.  "What are you doing?"

     "Is this a scar?" he cautiously asked. 

     After a moment, she nodded.  "Yes.  It is."

     "May I ask how it came to be."

     "That," she said tightly, "is a story for another day."

     Again, he nodded.  _Looks like I'll have to hang around if I ever want to hear all these stories.  _

     "Where is Kagome?" said Sango unexpectedly.  "Is she here?  Did you rescue her as well?"

     "Umm…"  A sinking feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. "I…left her right here with InuYasha…but it doesn't look like she's here anymore…"  He wearily dropped his head into the palm of his hand.  _This is not looking good…_

     Sango had all of a sudden become alert, a strange expression on her face.  "InuYasha—did you say?"

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1 this is actually a quote from the Bible—just so I'm not accused of plagiarizing.  I thought it fit well with the story.

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2 the song lyrics (chapter title) is from the song "Moonlight Shadow" by DJ Mystik

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**A/N:  **wow.  I really had no idea that I was going to get into so much of the political part of the story… hope I didn't lose you all during InuYasha and Miroku's conversation…

Sorry for the wait… thanks so much for being patient.    Thanks again to all who reviewed.  I know there's probably a bunch of you reading and not reviewing (not that I blame you…. lol I am guilty of that too) but I hope that you enjoyed the story too.  Again, don't hesitate to tell me what you liked, or what you didn't like.  Both help.

Okay, after this I might not update for two weeks because I'm going on a little trip with my mom and bro…so unless I can find a computer with internet connection at the hotel we're staying at, chapter five won't be up for two weeks.  I'll write it, don't worry, but it won't show up on ff.net for a while.     Gomen ne!

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Craza2k:  Thanks for pointing those mistakes out!  :-/  I went back and changed most of them; I'll re-post those chapters sometime. 

Lady Penguin:  did I ever tell you feel free to advertise me?  :-D  please don't hesitate, I'd love that.  Arigato!

Junyortrakr:  does anything ever work out for Inu-Yasha? 

Kissabirde:  hehe thanks!  When is your chapter three coming out? 

Babo: awwww thankies.  Your review made me happy.

Cookie: here's chapter four for ya!

Crystal Stardust:  here's an update for you…. since I know you were complaining that no one's updated.    Enjoy!  Thanks for proofreading this for me!

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So… until next time! 


	5. Complications

**Charade**

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**Chapter Five: COMPLICATIONS **

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.   _"Why'd you have to go and make things so complicated?..."_

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     **"Well, well, well, **what have we here?"  An extremely tall man with black hair and piercing yellow eyes chuckled as he took in the sight before him.  "Here I have Hanyou return with a wench, and Wolf empty-handed.  Did you confuse your assignments, boys?" 

     InuYasha and Wolf only glowered in response.

     The man ambled over to take a closer look at Kagome, who sullenly refused to acknowledge him.  "Can she talk?"

     "Can she ever," Wolf mumbled, rubbing his ears.  "I'm bushed.  Wake me up if something happens."   

     Kagome watched him stroll over to a ledge just inside the opening of the cave and curl up and go to sleep.  She stuck her tongue out at him, feeling nothing but childish at the moment.  She was tired, hungry, and utterly confused. 

      InuYasha was talking to the tall man.  "She was only yelling and screaming and kicking the whole way here."

     "You would too if you were taken against your will to who-knows-where!" snapped Kagome. 

     "Oh-ho, so she does have a voice," the man said.  "Looks an awful lot like—what's her name…"

     "Kikyo, perhaps?" offered Kagome sarcastically, still pouting in InuYasha's arms.  "That's all I've heard in the past day.  InuYasha, you can put me down now.  It's not like I've got anywhere to run."

     The tall man looked at the hanyou in surprise.  "InuYasha, is it?  Well, well, well…"

     "Just leave me alone," he muttered, setting Kagome down none too gently.

     "Hey!  Watch it," she complained.

     "Aw, shut up, bitch; I'm sick of your whining."

     Kagome huffed and muttered derogatory comments under her breath.

     Rocky looked amused.  "Quite a spirit she has there, hmm?"

     "If that's what you want to call it."  He yawned widely.  "Man, I need some sleep.  Please tell me I have nothing to do for a while."

     "Sorry to disappoint, but I need you to run a little errand for me—tonight."

     "Man, are you serious?" groaned InuYasha.  "C'mon, Rocky, I haven't slept in 24 hours!"

     "Oh, I see.  Is this too big of an assignment for a little hanyou?"  He laughed lightly.  "Don't you worry, Hanyou!  I'll get Wolf to do it, no problem—"

     "All right, all right, all right.  I'll do it.  Geez.  The things I have to do to earn my keep."  He cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders.  "Can I at least have a fifteen-minute nap?"

     "Take it.  I'll give you your assignment when you awaken."

     "Gotcha."  InuYasha walked towards the cave, methodically cracking different stiff joints on the way.

     "Hey!  What about me?!" Kagome yelled after him from her place on the ground.

     "What about you, wench?" he said without turning around.

     "What do you expect me to do while you're taking your little cat nap?  Er… doggy nap?  Just sit around here and wait?"

     "Sounds good to me."  He turned to Red, who was standing guard for the night.  "If any of you tries to eat her tonight, I'll personally ban you from all brothels in the area."

     "Aw, Hanyou—!"

     "I mean it!"

     "Fine," he sighed.  "Oh well.  She looks all skin and bones anyway."

     _"Hey!  I'm can hear you, you know!" _ Kagome shouted.

     "I know."  InuYasha smirked.  "Hang tight till I'm all rested up, 'kay?"  With that, he entered the cave, yawning.

     "That baka," muttered Kagome, crossing her arms.  "Kidnapping me and leaving me out here by myself with no one to talk to and nothing to do.  I think I'll die of boredom.  I should be back at the hospital now, helping people, saving lives!"  She sighed dramatically.  "And I can't escape either cuz that bozo is watching me like that… man, this sucks." 

     She looked towards the cave.  "Of course… I could always go in there…"  _Truth to be told, I feel more safe around InuYasha than this weird guard guy… _ 

     Mind made up, she stood and walked towards the cave, carefully sidestepping the scattered bones that dotted the ground in front of the cave (_'don't think about where those came from,' _she thought).  She waited at the mouth of the cave until her eyes adjusted, then moved inside.  She didn't see InuYasha anywhere—where had he disappeared to?

     "Heyyyy, guys, look, it's a female!"

     Kagome stiffened as every eye in the cave turned to look at her. 

     "Is she the new contact?"

     "Human she is!  I kin smell her stink all the way over hurr!"

     "Hey, missy, what's your name?"

     Kagome's tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth.  She opened her mouth to answer, but only a squeak came out.  These men were huge!  From the looks of their muscles, she would have guessed them to be runners or swimmers; and they were so tall!  And they all had those funny pointed ears—

     _Youkai!  _She was surrounded by youkai!  _I'll bet this _is_ the Black Mask!  That bastard InuYasha! _

     One of the men was walking towards her.  "Looks familiar, she does.  Where've I seen you before, my pretty?  Mebbe at one o' the local brothels?"

     Hoots and whistles sounded throughout the cave.

     Kagome hastily stepped backwards.  Judging by Wolf's reaction to her looks, resembling Kikyo was _not _a good thing.  What would happen if all these men ganged up on her?

     "I—I'm looking for InuYasha!" she squeaked.  "Do you know where he went?"

     "Who?" the man closest to her frowned.  "InuYasha?"

     "Um, or Hanyou?  Have you seen Hanyou around?"

     "Oh, sure, he's over thurr—on that ledge, near the back.  Whaddya want with him?"

     "I—I just need to speak with him."

     "Okeydoke, missy."  The man flashed her a toothy grin.  "If ever you get lonely, now, you jist come to me, ya hear?"

     "Ehhh…"  Kagome made a fast getaway.  "InuYasha!" she shouted, her call reverberating off the walls.  "InuYasha!  Where the heck did he go?  Inu—"  She stopped short as she suddenly stumbled upon his sleeping form, sprawled on the floor. 

     He was shirtless.

     Her jaw dropped as she drank in his well-muscled chest.  With his white hair falling across his tanned torso, and that peaceful look on his sleeping face, he looked like an ancient god.

     _No.  Don't think thoughts like that!  _"I-InuYasha!" she yelled again, lightly nudging his torso with her foot.

     He heard her that time.  He jumped to his feet and, out of instinct, grabbed a hold of her and slammed her against the wall, bracing his body against hers. 

     Her first thought was that InuYasha really did know what he was doing—he seemed to be rather seasoned in espionage (she now realized that the Japanese Army uniform had probably been stolen), and if he _was _part of the Black Mask, he was not only seasoned, but dangerous.

     Her second thought was related to the man pressed against her…

     Her face burning, she was about to yell at him to let her go, but he pulled away as quickly as he had come.  "Lord, woman," he growled, running a hand through his messy white hair, "unless you _want _to be—uh—seriously injured, I wouldn't suggest pulling that little stunt again."

     "Excuuuse me," Kagome murmured, her eyes still averted.

     "So.  Now that I'm _awake_—" he emphasized—"what is it you wanted?"

     She shrugged.  "The men scared me.  And I was lonely.  And bored."

     "And you woke me up for this?" he said incredulously.  "Do you know how many hours of sleep I've had in the past 36 hours?"

     "Two?"

     "I wish.  Try zero."

     "You just had fifteen minutes," she said.

     "Your point?"  He yawned widely.  "Go scare the Wimpy Wolf out of his wits and time his reaction.  We'll see who has faster reflexes."

     She didn't bat an eye at his odd request.  She'd worked in a field hospital, after all.  "Do you have some kind of rivalry going on?"

     "You could say that."

     A thought suddenly struck her as she recalled Wolf's response to her likeness to Kikyo.  "Did you two fight over Kikyo as well?"

     InuYasha immediately stiffened at the name.  "No.  Why do you ask?"

     She shrugged.  "His reaction towards me was rather exaggerated, don't you think?"

     "No," he said abruptly, slumping to the floor again.  "He didn't love Kikyo.  And if you want to stay alive in the next hour or so, stop asking such nosy questions, okay?"

     "Is that a threat?" exclaimed Kagome.

     "You better believe it."

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     **"Houshi-sama?"**

"Hmmm?"

     "I think I can walk on my own now."

     "My dear Sango, I don't want you to overexert yourself."

     "You've been carrying me for the whole morning!"

     "And…?"

     She sighed.  "If I didn't know better, I'd think you were carrying me just because of your lecherous mind."

     "Sango, you wound me!"  Even as the words left his mouth, his hand was creeping towards her posterior.

     "Don't even think about it, monk."

     He sighed.  "Really, you have an odd way of showing your gratitude.  Perhaps I would have been better off letting you ride with that farmer."

     She crossed her arms.  "Speaking of which, how can you be sure that farmer was reliable?  It was rather trusting of you to dump all those wounded men into his wagon and merely instruct him to drop them off at the hospital in the next town.  How do we know he wasn't a Russian sympathizer?"

     "Because I paid him a thousand yen for his trouble."

     "As if money alone will sway a person's loyalties," she scoffed.

     "When you are as poor as a farmer, you would likely sell your soul for money.  He'll follow through, I'm sure of it."

     Sango sighed.  "You are too trusting, Houshi-sama."

     "No, just wise in the ways of man."  He quirked a brow and gave her a silly grin.  She laughed.  He appreciated her laugh; he loved to hear that melodious sound.

     Then her thoughts returned to the war.  He could tell by the fading of her smile and the dimming of the light in her eyes.  "What is it, Sango?" he asked gently.

     She shook her head.  "Just thinking of the explosion.  All those people that could have been saved—"

     "Don't," Miroku cut in sharply.  "Thinking about what could have been will do you no good.  Don't let the 'could-have-beens' cast a shadow over the present and future."

     "But I can't just forget something like that!" she cried.  "You wouldn't understand.  I'm a nurse—my entire lifetime is devoted to helping people, saving lives—"

     "And because I don't have a medical degree, I don't care about the loss of human life?  Is that it?"

     Sango flushed and looked away.  "I didn't mean it that way."

     "You just meant that you are affected more, because of who you are.  What you are."

     She shrugged uncomfortably.  "It sounds so self-centered put that way, but yes, that is what I was thinking.  Forgive me, Houshi-sama, I—"

     "Don't apologize," he cut in softly.  "You are right, in a way.  Because your whole life is driven by task of saving people, you probably are more affected.  But hear me out: I am older than you, and therefore wiser.  Plus, I am a monk.  If you let the past cloud your present and future, how can you ever move forward?"

     She sighed again.  "Easier said than done.  But you are right, although I don't quite agree with that 'I am wiser than you' statement.  You're a monk, yes, but by no means wiser than me."

     "How old are you, Sango?"

     Her eyes flashed playfully.  "Don't you know that it's rude to ask a woman's age?"

     "I don't know who made up that blasted rule," Miroku grumbled.  "I think it would be more offensive to ask a man's age, seeing as we don't age as sophisticatedly as women."

     "I'm twenty-one," she told him with a cheeky grin.  "And just how old are you, Lord Monk?"

     "Twenty-four.  See?  I _am_ your elder."

     "But by no means wiser!"

     "We shall see about that."  He smiled at her, and she returned the favor, warming his heart.  This woman had an odd effect on his emotions.  He was even willing to bear a painful slap, just to keep that look of sadness out of her eyes…

     SLAP

     "Houshi-sama!" she said in exasperation.  "I don't understand you.  How can you be such a thoughtful and insightful priest one minute, and then a groping hentai the next?"

     He gave her a small, secretive smile.  "Anything for you, Sango."

     She shot him a quizzical look, but he simply shook his head.  "Let's play a game.  I'll say the name of an animal that starts with 'A' then you say one that starts with 'B' and so on and so forth."

     "Umm…all right…" 

     She had an adorable befuddled look on her face.  While she thought, Miroku openly studied her.  What could have caused that sadness that lurked in the depths of those magenta eyes?  One so young and sensitive shouldn't have had to endure something that caused so much pain…

     "Houshi-sama?  It's your turn."

     "Right…"

     He'd ask her about it later.  At the moment, his goal was to keep her mind off anything unpleasant.

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     **"Four-point-six seconds,"** **Kagome announced.**

     "That long?" InuYasha snorted.  "That's pitiful, Wimpy Wolf.  What was my reaction time, wench?"

     "I don't know.  It's not like I was counting."

     "Ha.  You're full of air, Mutt," Wolf laughed, leaning back against the wall of the cave.  "You're probably too ashamed to admit that I beat you."

     "You wish.  It was around two seconds, wouldn't you say, wench?"

     "I told you I don't know.  And stop calling me 'wench.'"

     "Well then, let's try again, huh?  I'm going to fall asleep—you wake me up.  Be sure and count this time, ne?"

     "No fair!" Wolf exclaimed.  "You'll be prepared!"

     "Not if I'm asleep, moron."

     "Can you really fall asleep that fast?" Kagome asked hesitantly.

     "Sure.  Wait a few seconds before waking me up, okay?"  He settled down on the ground and closed his eyes.  

     Kagome was up to seven when his breathing became soft and regular.  "Is that some kind of trick?" she asked Wolf.

     He shrugged.  "Secrets of the trade.  Grab sleep whenever you can, wherever you can.  A sleep-deprived man isn't too picky."

     Kagome stared at the sleeping form of InuYasha and giggled when he mumbled something in his sleep.  "What's he saying?" she asked Wolf.

     "Like I want to know," he grunted.  "Go on, wake him up already." 

     Kagome nudged InuYasha with her foot like before; and yet again found herself pressed up against the wall, this time with InuYasha's knee embedded in her back.

     "Ackk… can't…breathe!" she gasped.  The weight receded, and she fell backwards onto the hanyou's chest, which naturally made her cheeks flame redder than they already were.

     "You did that just go get her in your arms," Wolf grumbled.

     "Maybe if I was a shameless flirt like you," retorted InuYasha.  "What was my time, wench?"

     "Uh, one-and-a-half seconds."

     "Ha!  Told ya so!" InuYasha said, grinning at Wolf.

     "Ungracious winner."

     "Jealous cub."

     "Immature puppy."

     "Half-brained, flea-ridden, ill-mannered—"

     "If you two are finished," interrupted a third voice, "I'd like to have a word with both of you."

     InuYasha and Wolf, who were by then standing nose to nose, jumped like guilty schoolboys.  "Oh, hi, Rocky," they said simultaneously, both looking at the ground.

     "Hi.  Have a nice sparring session?"

     "I won," InuYasha announced proudly.

     "I heard."

     "Oh… you did?"

     "It was hard to miss," Rocky said, grinning a bit.  "Will you excuse me for a minute, miss?  I need to talk to your captor."

     The three men looked at Kagome expectantly for a few moments before she realized Rocky was talking to her. 

     "Oh!  Uh, sure, go right ahead.  That is—it's not really my place to say what he can and can't do—"

     "You're a female.  Isn't ordering men around a woman's job?"

     InuYasha and Wolf snickered.

     "My initial impression of you," Kagome said sweetly, "is that you would be above cracking chauvinistic jokes.  But it looks as if I was mistaken.  Are you a misogynist like InuYasha?"

     "Touché," Rocky said with an appreciative smile.

     "I am not," InuYasha muttered defensively.

     "Oh, shut it, Hanyou.  You know that women always have the last word."  He winked at Kagome.  "You sure this one isn't just a captive?"

     "Yes," InuYasha said forcefully. 

     Kagome rolled her eyes.  "I may look like Kikyo, but that's where the similarities stop."

     "You got that right," said InuYasha.

     "Your loss," Rocky shrugged.  "Okay, Wolf, your turn for briefing."

     "Gotcha."

     A few seconds later, InuYasha yelped, "Hey!  What do you mean 'my loss'?!"

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     **"We know," Rocky said, **"that a Russian ship laden with arms is going to port in the Sapporo dock sometime around eight or nine o'clock tonight.  It's highly probable that some Black Mask goons will be there to sabotage the liner.  Normally I wouldn't protest this, but Prime Minister Yoshida is currently in the middle of trying to negotiate an armistice with the Russians; if that ship explodes, all notions of a treaty will fly out the window."

     "Is this knowledge verified?" InuYasha asked.

     "Came from the mouths of two Russian privates themselves," Rocky said.  "Now that Sapporo is completely under Russian control, the common foot soldiers are celebrating in the taverns—which are still run by the original owners.  Blasted soldiers think they're too good to serve themselves.  Anyhow, it looks as if Japanese sake is stronger than Russian vodka—those soldiers were dead drunk in less than five minutes."

     "Mmm," InuYasha said thoughtfully.  "I see how it is.  If the ship explodes and the negotiations fail, Yoshida will fall out of favor.  Which leaves more room for Naraku to maneuver"

     "Precisely.  The country is already saddled with extreme rationing, and people are getting tired of war.  This could be the straw that breaks the camel's back."

     "If it happens that is."

     "Exactly."  Rocky sighed.  "Another Channel man was murdered today."

     "Anyone we know?"

     "Probably not.  He was from the Hiroshima division.  One of their best though."

     "Naraku's getting bolder," muttered InuYasha, scuffing his military boot in the dirt.  "Did I tell you he sent a shape-shifter in the form of Kikyo to me?"

     "No.  What did it tell you?"

     "Not much.  I nearly strangled the life out of it before it could feed me any lies."

     "You should have at least waited to see what it had to say," Rocky chided mildly.

     "It was sent from Naraku—that says enough in itself.  I've got a price on my head."

     "Yes.  But what was his purpose?  To lead you to him?  To feed you false information?  Give you a bogus lead?  Next time—"

     "There won't _be_ a next time," said InuYasha stubbornly.

     "With Naraku there will _always _be a next time," Rocky said sternly.  "Don't underestimate him, Hanyou."

     "Yeah, whatever," InuYasha mumbled.

     "And Hanyou?" Rocky said seriously.  "Be carefully out there.  You're one of my best men; I don't want to lose you."

     InuYasha stared at his superior.  "What was that?"

     "You know I'm not going to repeat myself."

     "That was a _compliment_!"

     "Stop stating the obvious."

     "This is a dangerous assignment, isn't it?" InuYasha said.  "If you actually handed out a compliment like that… I could very well lose my life tonight.  Am I right?"

     "Hanyou, you're liable to lose your life on any mission I give you.  I'm just telling you to be extra careful tonight."

     "Ah.  Right."

     There was a moment of comfortable silence before InuYasha suddenly said, "Have you ever heard of a 'Shikon no Tama'?"

     Rocky looked at him sharply.  "Yes.  What about it?"

     "The new contact at the field hospital just outside of Sapporo—he said that Naraku is looking for this supposed 'jewel of four souls.'"

     "Interesting," Rocky murmured.  "I've heard of the legend, of course, but this is the first I've heard of its actual existence.  Was it confirmed?"

     "Its existence?  According to the monk, several times over.  Seeing as everything else he's fed me was right on target, I think we have good cause to believe him."

     "So, Naraku is in pursuit of this jewel.  Why exactly does he want it?  Does the jewel have special powers of some sort?"

     "All I know is what the song tells us.  And that's more cryptic than concrete.  Want me to sniff out some info for you?"

     "Thanks, but I think I'll give that task to someone else.  You just worry about tonight's assignment."

     "Right."  InuYasha looked over to where that mangy wolf and the look-alike were talking.  "Is that all?"

     "For now.  Are you going to leave the girl here?"

     "Of course not.  I may run into Naraku—and he'll mistake her for Kikyo, affectively setting my plan into action."

     "Your plan?  For retribution?"

     "That and other…things…"

     "Hanyou, don't let your emotions control your actions.  Those fickle little buggers can be fatal."

     "Yeah, I know."

     "Look what happened before.  You almost lost your life."

     "Yeah, I know…"

     "So!  Are you going to abandon this foolish little vengeance game?"

     "No.  But it's not just about vengeance.  It's—complicated."

     "Everything concerning love is.  Just don't let it—whatever _it_ is—control you."

     "Yeah…okay…"

     "You're dismissed.  Tell the Wolf to get his butt over here."

     "Right," InuYasha said absently.  He started to walk away, then stopped short and spun around.  "I almost forgot.  The Lightning brothers are in league with Naraku.  Hiten, the elder brother, is—well _was_—the head doctor at the field hospital outside of Sapporo.  His name is Kitosumo."

     Rocky nodded in approval.  "Good work.  I'll send word for the Channel to keep an eye out for them.  But what did you mean _'was' _the head doctor of the hospital?  Was he sacked?"

     "No.  It burned to the ground during the Russian bombardment."

     "Ah.  And I'm assuming our little Kikyo Duplicate was a nurse at that very hospital."

     "Yeah."

     "Hm.  Interesting.  Isn't that where you took Speedy to be fixed up?"

     "Yeah…"  InuYasha didn't like where this was going."

     Rocky smiled.  "Say no more, then."

     Why did he have to be so damn perceptive?

     "Go fetch Wolf for me.  And take care of that woman.  She could be valuable."

     "Huh?  What do you mean by that?"

     "Go on now."

     "But—"

     "Go."

     "Right. Going." 

.

.

.

     **The makeshift fire crackled **cheerfully, sending little shadow fairies dancing across the blades of grass.  Sango unblinkingly stared into the flames, methodically chewing her piece of bread.  Miroku alternated between staring at Sango and his portion of bread.

     "Sango?" he finally said.

     "Hm?  What is it?"  Her eyes didn't leave the fire.

     "Penny for your thoughts."

     She laughed shortly.  "They aren't worth that much."

     He scooted closer to her on the log they were both sitting on.  "Why don't you let me be the judge of that?"

     She eyed him warily.  "If you can't behave yourself, you can just stay over there."

     "I can behave."  At her skeptical look he added, "When I want to."

     She nodded, satisfied. 

     "Well?" Miroku prompted.  "What were you thinking about?"

     She shrugged.  "My past life."

     "When was that?"

     "Before I became a nurse."

     "When did you become a nurse?"

     "A year ago, when the war started.  It was a convenient excuse to leave home."

     "Why did you want to?"

     She shook her head.  "When did you become a priest, Houshi-sama?"

     He allowed the change in subject.  Perhaps if he told more about himself, she'd open up too.  "I actually _became _a priest when I was sixteen.  I'd known I would be one ever since I was small."

     "Really?  Was your father a priest?"

     "Yes.  But it wasn't he that I was inspired by.  I was raised by an old monk named Mushin."  A reminiscent smile crossed his face.  "Those were good times."

     Sango was looking down again, her cheeks flushed.  Was she blushing?  Or was it just the effect of the fire?

     Miroku always liked to give women the benefit of the doubt.  He scooted even closer.  "Were you raised by both parents, Sango?"

     "My father.  My mother died while in childbirth with my brother."

     "You have a brother?"

     She visibly stiffened.  "I did."

     "What happened?" he asked softly.

     "He—died."

     "I'm sorry," Miroku said sincerely.  "My father died when I was three.  I understand the pain of loss."

     "I've put it behind me," she muttered, stuffing the last bit of bread into her mouth.  "No use dwelling on the past.  Isn't that right, Monk?"

     He hated it when his own words backfired against him.

     "Right," he said.

     They stared at the fire for a while, neither speaking.

     "How long will it take before we reach the nearest village?" Sango asked a few minutes later, breaking the silence.

     Miroku shrugged.  "A day or two, maybe?  It'd be a lot quicker if we took the main road, but since we're taking the back route… who knows."

     "Do you really think Russians will be patrolling the area?  Or are you just being cautious?"

     "I am cautious, but never overcautious," Miroku chuckled.  "Believe me, if traversing the main road would mean I could sleep in a fine house with beautiful women as servants, I would never settle for the back roads."

     "I'm beginning to doubt if you truly are a monk," said Sango.  "Aren't monks supposed to give up all aesthetic desires?"

     "'Supposed' being the operative word."

     "You're such a delinquent."

     "Hey," he said in mock offense, "watch what you say to a servant of Buddha, woman."

     "Indeed," she said, rather scornfully. 

     "Why did you react to InuYasha's name that way last night?" Miroku said suddenly.  The best way to get answers was to catch people off guard.  It was the surest way to collect information, and it usually always worked.

      Which was why he was surprised when Sango just looked at him coolly and replied, "React what way?"

     "Like you knew him."

     "I don't.  His name was similar to someone else's I knew."

     "You didn't like that person?"

     "Did I say that?"

     "No, but your tone implied it."

     "Oh really."

     "Where did you meet him?"

     "Who?  The person?"

     "No, InuYasha."

     "I just told you I don't know him!"

     "So you said."

     Sango jumped to her feet.  "Are you calling me a liar?"  

     "Maybe," Miroku said quietly.  "You couldn't have known him in childhood because he grew up in the north and you grew up in the south."

     "How do you know where I grew up?" she demanded.

     "The way you dress.  Your accent.  The position you sit in when eating a meal.  Your choice of words in prayer."

     Sango blinked, looking down at her yukuta and covering her mouth, as if trying to suppress the betraying items.

     "He attended the military academy from the age of seven to eighteen, so you didn't know him from there.  I would guess that you knew him from there, because you're so skilled at fighting—"

     Sango flushed harder at the compliment.

     "—but I know for a fact that the school he went to was not coed," Miroku finished.  "You didn't meet last year, because you were already a nurse."

     "And InuYasha was doing what?"

     Miroku raised a brow at her blurted question.  _She's curious about him.  More evidence that she knows him._  "Were you lovers?"

     "Hell no!" she burst out, shuddering.

     A slow smile spread across Miroku's face.

     Sango scowled and sat back down on the log, knowing that she'd just given herself away.  "That's all you're getting, Monk.  I knew him.  I didn't like him.  Fin."

    "Why didn't you like him?"

    "You're pushing too hard, Houshi-sama…"

    "Is it because he's youkai?"

    She jumped to her feet again and stalked off into the darkness.

    "Don't wander off too far," Miroku called after her. "It's not safe this time of night."

    He winced at the language that she threw back at him.  Maybe he _had_ pushed to far…

.

.

.

     **_That jackass! _Sango thought** furiously as she stalked into the darkness, heedless of where she was going.  And to think she actually entertained notions of him having feelings for her!  She hadn't blushed that much since kami knows when.  And now… 

     Her hands clenched into fits.  It was obvious any admiration he had for her was skin deep.  He was only interested in interrogating her about InuYasha.  Was the monk one of the hanyou's cohorts?

     She ground her teeth.  What infuriated her was that she liked the monk.  Actually _liked _him.  How long had it been since she'd liked a man that way?

     _You poor dreamer_, she taunted herself. _Thinking he liked you back.  Chances are, he probably acts that way around any and every woman. _

     He was a playboy.  And she had foolishly fallen for his tricks, thinking that he liked her too.

     But what did he call the past two days they'd spent together?  They joked with each other, played games, and she even opened up a bit.  He was interested, caring… and what about when he rescued her?  He'd gone back inside to find her!  And he'd sounded so sincere—

     _Words are cheap.  _What was his explanation for his sudden shift to interrogator?__

     _Face it, Sango.  It's your destiny to be unlucky in love._  She heaved a sigh.

     Something snapped behind her.  She whirled around, her eyes darting from side to side.  She had a dagger stuck up her sleeve, but that was it.  What she wouldn't give for her trusty Hiraikotsu right now!

     _What would the monk think of that? _she thought humorlessly.  He knew InuYasha somehow, which meant he consorted with demons.  What would he think of her, a former demon exterminator?

     'Former.'  That was a laugh.  She'd give up nursing in a heartbeat to return to her old job.

     But that was impossible.  There was no point in kidding herself.

     Another twig snapped.  Sango tensed, unconsciously taking her fighting stance.  _It could just be an animal_, she told herself.  _There's no point in getting all paranoid_.

     Her eyes narrowed.  Was that a shadow emerging from the woods?  She slipped her hand up her sleeve, and curled her fingers 'round the handle of the dagger.   

     "You can replace that dagger, Madam Exterminator," a voice said from the shadows.  "We don't want to cause you any trouble."

     Two more shadows appeared.  Bandits?

     "Unless of course," the voice continued, "you show resistance."

     "What do you want?" she called out.

     "Retribution," the voice answered.  "For our dead comrades."

     The moonlight illuminated the shadows.

     Sango's breath caught in her throat.

.

.

.

     **"Say what?" **

     "Get—on—my—back."

     "What the devil for?"

     "Because you're too damn slow, that's why."

     "Just wait one minute."  Kagome crossed her arms.  "Where are you going?  Why do you find it necessary to take me?  I could stay here with Wolf—he could make sure I didn't run away or whatever."

     "Yeah, you'd like that wouldn't you?" InuYasha straightened from his hunched-over position and muttered an afterthought that sounded something like, "You women are all the same."

     "You didn't answer my question," Kagome reminded him.

     "You're coming because I need you to do something for me."

     "And what would that be?"

     "Just stand by my side and look like you know what you're doing."

     Kagome blinked at him.  "Huh?"

     "Would you just get on?"

     "No!  I want to know what the hell is going on, who the devil you are, and _why_ there is a conglomerate of youkai lounging around this cave!"  She stamped her foot.

     "Temper, temper."  InuYasha regarded her for a minute, thinking. 

     If he told her who he was and what he did, she would have to stay under his or Wolf's or someone's protection until the war ended.  Or maybe forever. 

     He couldn't trust her to stay quiet with information like this—not that he expected her to run down the main street of downtown Tokyo yelling out the Channel's secrets, but information like that could cause her to become a target, like himself.  Naraku would stoop to anything to gain inside Channel information; he wouldn't blink an eye at killing an innocent girl like Kagome.

     He rolled his shoulder.  Maybe Rocky was right.  Retribution was too complicated.

     "Okay, wench, this is how it is," he said slowly, crossing his fingers behind his back.  "These youkai and I are all part of a shipping company.  We're hiding out in this cave because our main office is in Sapporo and probably housing a bunch of Russies right now. 

     "Obviously, it's quite dangerous when we try to retrieve our imports and then export stuff at a dock that is covered in Russians and Italians.  But we can't just abandon our company—for one, we would all starve, and two, the rest of the country is already on extreme rationing.  So, I need you to come with me to the docks, so we can convince the guards that this is a boat full of Russian supplies."

     "Oh, is _that _all?" Kagome said in relief.  "And here I thought you were part of that radical youkai group, the Black Mask.  That's a big relief."

      He smiled faintly.  Man, was this one was naïve.

     "But—" Kagome frowned—"how are we, two Japanese people, going to convince the Russian guards that the ship is theirs?"

      "Easy," InuYasha said flippantly.  "I wear the garb of a docker; you wear a nurse's uniform.  It's not a complete lie that way."  It was easier to keep your lies straight if there was some truth in your fabrication.

     "My eyes," she said, pointing to the objects.  "Do these look Russian to you?"

     "So I captured you," he replied, rolling his eyes.  "Use your imagination, woman.  Common foot soldiers are extremely gullible.  And besides, it's dark.  How much will he be able to see besides your dress and long hair?"

     "All right," she said reluctantly.  "But I still don't understand why I need to go along."

     He sighed.  This one was a little slow.  "You're a young, beautiful woman.  These men probably haven't seen a woman in a year or so.  He'll be so flabbergasted by your beauty that he will do anything I ask him."

     "Bull," she said, although her cheeks were tinged pink. 

     He smirked.  _Score.  I win._  "Okay, then, let's go!"

     "No, wait…"

     For the love of Buddha, what now?!

     "You still left some things unanswered," she said.  "Why did you kidnap me in the first place?"

     "Because the very place where we were standing was going to be overrun by Russians in a few minutes.  Was I supposed to leave you there and let you die?  Or worse, be captured and raped?"

     "How did you know it was going to be overrun by Russians?  And how did you know that more bombs were on the way."

     "He heard it in a bar, okay?"  InuYasha jerked his head towards Rocky, who had finished with Wolf and was now listening to the conversation with amusement.  "Russian privates get drunk very easily."

     "Oh."  Apparently she couldn't find any loopholes in his story, because she walked behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders.  "And you'll bring me back after I help you?"

     "Bring you back where?"

     "To the hospital of course."

     "Um, sorry to break it to you, wench, but the hospital ain't there no more."

     "Huh?" She stared at him, nonplused.  "What do you mean?"

     "It burned down soon after we left," he explained, a little less gruffly than before.

     "Burned down?" she repeated, her eyes wide with shock.  "But—what about all the patients?  All those wounded soldiers?  The doctors and nurses?" 

     "Well—hopefully they evacuated beforehand."  He offered her the only lifeline he could think of.  What was she so upset about?  This was war.  If she couldn't handle death, she had no business being a nurse.

     "Oh," she said, the light in her eyes dimming a bit.  She turned her head away and drew in a shuddering breath.  "Let's go then."

     "Right."  He pulled her onto his back, relieved that she'd dropped the topic.  "Say bye to Wolf and Rocky."

     She snorted.  "What for?  I'm never gonna see them again."

     "All the more reason to give them your regards."

     She gave his doggy ears a tug (the concealment spell had long worn off by then) before turning around and yelling, "Sayonara, Wolf, Rocky!  Nice meeting you!"

     "Ja ne, Kagome!" Kouga yelled back at her.

     _Oh, right, that's her name.  Stupid ladies' man. _ 

     As expected, Rocky said nothing.

     InuYasha took off, running slightly slower than before, now that he had this wench's weight on his back.  He felt her arms tighten around his neck.  "Oy, not so tight, wench!  Do you want me to choke?"

     "Gomen ne."  Her grip loosened.  "How long till we get there?"

     He shrugged.  "Not long to get out of these woods, but we'll have to walk after that.  How suspicious would it look if we arrived on the docks, my hair windblown, and you clutching my neck for dear life?"

     "Less suspicious than these things right here," she said, plucking at his ears again and giggling.

     "Oy, wench, commandment number one: thou shalt not touch InuYasha's ears!"  

.

.

.

     **What was taking Sango so long?**

     Miroku used his staff to draw patterns in the dirt.  He hadn't expected her to get so upset with his questioning.  The lovers comment had caused more of a reaction than he'd planned.  Actually, he'd just thrown it out on a whim, not expecting to hit a nerve.

     And then the youkai comment… that had been the last straw.

     He frowned.  How long had she been gone?  Maybe he should go check on her.

     No, it was probably best to let her blow off some steam first. 

     Too bad Kagome-sama wasn't around to help him bring Sango around.  Skilled as he was at dealing with women, he wasn't all that great at making amends. 

     Speaking of Kagome-sama, where had that disappeared to?  As he'd said to Sango, he'd left her with InuYasha when he ran back into the hospital.  Since he'd only met with the hanyou that one time, he had no way of knowing what InuYasha would do in that situation. 

     If the rumors circulating around the Channel were to be trusted, the hanyou had been badly hurt by a woman.  He didn't know all the details, but it was said that the woman had been working for the Channel, and then unexpectedly switched loyalties and started working for Naraku.

      With that in mind, it wasn't likely that he would take Kagome-sama with him.  After that traitor wench, he probably wasn't prone to trusting women—

     A bone-chilling thought struck him and his staff abruptly stopped its circulatory motion. 

     What if Sango—?

     _No.  Impossible.  _

     She couldn't have been the hanyou's lover, and later, betrayer.  That was too far-fetched to be believable.

     But then, why the reaction to his name?  Why the fervent denial when he'd asked if they were lovers?  With a sinking feeling in his stomach, he remembered Kitosumo Hiten.  It would be all too easy for them to exchange reports. 

     The scar on her back.

     Allegedly, the wench and InuYasha had fought before she turned on him.  Over what, he wasn't sure, but—that scar on Sango's back looked an awful lot like a claw scratch.

     _Kami-sama._  He rubbed his forehead.  _I'm assuming an awful lot here.  I have absolutely no evidence that Sango and InuYasha's wench are the same woman._

_     But still… _

     He hastily got to his feet.  She'd been gone too long for just a fit of temper.  What if she was in trouble? 

     What if she'd gone off to meet with a Black Mask member?

     Miroku flinched.  _I'll give her the benefit of the doubt.  She's in trouble.  Go, gallant knight, and save thy fair lady! _

     Right… he really should stop reading Shakespeare when insomnia hit.

.

.

.

**     "Look a little angrier," **InuYasha whispered.

     Kagome screwed up her face into a scowl.  "How's this?"

     "Better.  Don't stand so close to me—you hate me, remember?"

     "Right."  She put a few feet between them as they walked along the wooden docks. 

     "Good.  Now just stay by me and don't say a word."

     She nodded mutely.

     He sighed.  She thought he was going to pull the wool over a Russian guard's eyes…in truth, they just had to hang around the docks, lying in wait for Naraku's goons to show up.  And when they did show up, he would either have to incapacitate or kill them—_after _he made sure they got a good look at Kagome. 

     He ambled around the docks, his eyes and ears missing nothing.  His doggy ears may have been concealed, but they were still there. 

     "InuYasha?" Kagome said out of the side of her mouth.

     "Not in public!" he hissed.

     "Um… whatever-your-name-is, how long is this going to take?"

     "As long as it does."

     "Why do I get the feeling there's something you're not telling me?" she muttered crossly. 

     He smirked.  Ignorance was bliss.

.

.

.

     **"I take it you're not going **to be leaving without a fight?" Sango asked calmly.

     "That's right," the first demon said.  "Not until we avenge our brothers."

     "Who had already killed many children in my village," Sango retorted angrily.  "An eye for an eye.  Go avenge your brothers elsewhere.  I wasn't the only exterminator that attacked your tribe."

     "We have already killed the others," the second informed her.  "And now we shall do the same to you."

     "Too bad you don't have that pretty boomerang with you," the third sneered.  "It was a blow from that weapon that killed my twin.  I was looking forward to biting it in half."

     "So sorry to disappoint you," Sango gritted, holding her stance.  Three youkai against one human, and she was without a weapon, save the tiny dagger she had.  

     _I'll bet that monk doesn't even realize how much time has elapsed.  He's probably snoring his cares away this very moment._ 

     She frantically thought over her options, while working hard to keep a straight face.  Climb a tree?  They were cougar youkai, they could jump.  Run in the opposite direction?  They were two times as fast as her.  Kill one, and deal with the other two at the same time?

     _One, two, three, which will it be?_

     She didn't have time to make a decision.  The first youkai pounced on her, knocking her to the ground.  Black spots danced before her eyes and she automatically kicked upwards, the strength of both legs throwing the youkai off of her. 

     She struggled to her feet, knowing full well that the other two wouldn't waste any time coming to the aid of their brother.  Still, she was somewhat surprised when she was hit from behind and thrown to the ground again. 

     _Curse this useless skirt.  What I wouldn't give for my exterminator's uniform right now.   _

     She'd been thrown against a tree, and with her skirt she couldn't get to her feet quick enough.  _Dammit.  _She winced as she felt the demon's claws sink into her arm.

     Not even taking time to whisper a split-second prayer, she hurled her dagger towards the demon, and heaved a sigh of relief when it struck its throat.  The demon stopped in mid-strike and tumbled to the ground. 

     The stunned one had recovered its wits and was charging towards her from the right.  The other—the other was coming from the left.

     And she was still stuck on the ground, her skirt and bruised legs rendering her helpless.  _Kami-sama!_  She closed her eyes and prayed for her soul.

     The last thing she expected was to hear a deafening explosion.  A wave of heat hit her, and she felt herself being propelled backwards into the tree again.  Her head struck the wood with a sickening crunch, and then all went black.

.

.

.

     **"InuYasha," Kagome complained, **"it's been _three hours_ already.  Go find a blasted Russian guard and talk to him!  What are you waiting for?"

     "Hush, wench," he said, his eyes not leaving the two women that had been wandering around the docks for an hour.

     "Look, if you want to go ask one of them out, go do it!"

     He gave her a look that clearly said, _You moron.  _

     "And where is that blasted ship?  I'm cold.  And tired.  I've been up all night.  Can't you drop me off at the hospital ruins?  There could be some survivors—"

     "Would you shut it already?" he said out of the corner of his mouth.  "They're watching us.  At least the older one is.  Stop blabbering."

     _ What's his problem?_  Kagome turned to study the two women.  They were a good twenty yards away, and in the darkness it was hard to see any defining features.  The one was considerably shorter than the woman InuYasha claimed was watching them.  She looked more like a child than a woman.

     A flash of light caught her eye.  She squinted towards the water and could just barely make out the outline of a ship.  "I think the ship's arrived," she whispered.

     "I know.  I heard it a few minutes ago."

     Well, now she was officially useless. 

     Hopefully after the ship came InuYasha could do his transactions with the captain or whatever, and she could finally return to nursing. 

     "Is that woman from a competing shipping company?" she asked, making sure to keep her voice low.  "Does she want first dibs on the imported goods?"

     He gave her an unreadable look.  "Something like that…"

     Fine.  If he didn't want to talk, neither would she.  She lapsed into a moody silence, wishing she had somewhere to sit. 

     The ocean breeze was playing havoc with her hair.  Annoyed, she tried to twist it into a knot, but to no avail.  She glanced at InuYasha, who was looking very tense.  He was alternately tapping each foot, and consistently cracking his knuckles.  His face was set, and his gaze never wavered from the women.

     "InuYasha," she tried, "what's the matter?"

     "Nothing."

     "Don't give me that!  Something's up.  You've become more tense as time passes, we haven't even seen a Russian guard and—damn this wind!  Is there a storm coming or something?  It's picked up faster than I've ever seen in the past minute or so!"

     "You noticed too?  I knew it.  Stop flicking that fan, you damn bitch."

     "Huh?"  Kagome looked down at her hands.  _Fan?  What the devil is he talking about?_ 

     Then she noticed a white fan in the hand of the taller woman.  _Is he talking to her?  What does he care if she uses a fan?  I am so confused… and now my chest hurts too… _

     She sucked in a breath, shifting uncomfortably.

     "You okay?"

     Kagome looked up, surprised.  He was actually inquiring about her state of being?  "Not really.  I'm getting these weird chest pains all of a sudden—"

     "Thought so.  Kikyo did too.  It's the youki that's bothering you."

     Kagome nearly missed the second comment because she was dwelling on the fact that he'd willingly talked about Kikyo.  "Youki?  What do you mean?"

     "They're youkai, smart one.  It's because you're a miko.  Their presence is irritating to you."  He rolled a shoulder.  "It was like pulling teeth to get Kikyo to go anywhere.  She never complained, but you could tell the youki really hurt her..." 

     He glanced down at her, then quickly looked away, his expression hardening again, as if he suddenly snapped out of a trance.  Kagome got the feeling she wouldn't be hearing any more about Kikyo any time soon.

     _Youkai. _ She fixed her gaze on the woman, who was now swishing her fan more intently. _But that doesn't make sense.  My chest didn't hurt like this around Wolf or Rocky or InuYasha.  Is it a female thing?  No, that doesn't make sense either.  This feeling is almost—evil—_

     She shook her head and laughed a little.  Evil presence.  Sounded like a fairy tale of some sort—

     Then it suddenly clicked.  Youki.  The waiting.  The boat.  The two demons and InuYasha, staring each other down like in a competition of some sort.  A blast from the past hit her and she turned her head to stare accusingly at InuYasha.

     "You bastard."

     "What's your problem?"  He didn't turn to look at her.  The ship was coming closer.

     "You lied to me.  You're not part of a shipping company.  There _is_ no shipping company!  You _are_ part of the Black Mask, aren't you?  Tell me the truth, or I swear I will leave right now!"

     "I wouldn't suggest doing that," he said calmly.  "That ship is going to explode in a few minutes, and let me tell you that the shock waves aren't gonna be pretty."

     "Why should I believe that?  Why should I believe anything you tell me?"

     "I was trying to keep you out of this, you nosy wench," he gritted, "but 'curiosity killed the cat', ne?  I'm not part of the Black Mask.  Never was, never will be.  Those women over there, however, are.  They are going to blow up that ship.  And since The Bastard sent the Wind Witch and her little transparent sister, I have no way of stopping the explosion."

     "Why in the seven hells would they want to blow up that ship?"

     "It's full of Russian armaments.  Yoshida is in the middle of peace negotiations with the Tsar.  If that ship explodes, there goes any hope of an armistice."

     "But—that's retarded!  Do they _want_ this war to be prolonged?"

     "Not…exactly."  He let out a breath.  "It's complicated."

     "Obviously!"  Kagome turned on her heel.  "I'm leaving."

     Two strong arms grasped her waist and pulled her against a muscular chest.  "What the hell—?"

     "Sorry, wench.  You pried.  You can't leave."

     "H-huh?"

     "You can identify Rocky, Wolf, and me, and unwittingly offer incriminating information—"

     "Incriminating?" she squeaked.

     "To the enemy.  Don't worry, I'm not breaking the law," he said, rolling his eyes.

     "So…I can't leave."

     "Nope.  Sorry.  Looks like you're stuck with me for a while.  Hope you like dogs."

     "Let me go!"  She struggled to break out of his embrace, but she soon realized that even mere hanyous had insane strength.

     "Whatever you say, wench."  He smiled enigmatically and loosened his grip.

     "Why the hell are you—" Kagome cried out as she felt herself being driven backwards by the extreme gusts of winds that were blowing her way.  InuYasha was becoming smaller and smaller… "Don't just stand there, help me!" she yelled at him.

     "Hang on, Kikyo, I'm coming!" he yelled back, and charged towards her.

     _Kikyo?  Is he losing his mind?  _"I'm not—" she started to yell, but was cut off when InuYasha's hand covered her mouth as he pulled her back into his embrace.

     "Still want me to let go?"  He smirked in that infuriating way of his.

     "I'm Kagome," she said, wanting to clear this little misconception up.

     "I know."

     "Why did you call me Kikyo?"

     "For reasons of my own.  Don't worry, I'm not going senile."

     _This guy is seriously deranged.  _

     The winds were picking up now, obviously a correlation to the quickly approaching ship.  "Isn't there anything you can do to save the ship?" she shouted, trying to be heard over the roaring of the wind.

     "I can't get near that bitch with this wind nearly blowing me to the next town.  My 'Claws of Blood' can't travel that far, and she would just repel them with her wind, anyway.  There's nothing I can do now."

     "And you're _okay _with this?!" she shrieked.

     "Of course I'm not!" he yelled back, glaring.

     "Then why do you sound so apathetic?"

     "What, would you rather I burst into tears?  This is war, wench.  Letting your emotions run you dry won't help anything."

     "Are you speaking from experience?"

     "That's none of your business," he said sharply.

     She let it go.  For now.  "So there's absolutely nothing we can do?"

     "Zilch."

     A thought suddenly struck her and she blurted it out before she had time to think about it.  "If Kikyo was here, what would she do?"

     InuYasha's gaze hardened into a death glare.  "Why do you care, bitch?"

     He was so stubborn!  "Just answer my question!"

     "She would probably purify that Wind Witch woman faster than you could say—" He blinked—"Kagome!"

     "Well, that's an odd choice to insert into the phrase—"

     "No—Kagome!  You're a miko!  How powerful are you?  Can you purify that demon over there?"

     "I'm…not sure.  I'm not really—experienced with my powers.  I can probably cut a path in the wind, but that's it."

     "That's enough."  Still holding tight to her, he turned so that his back was towards the wind, and she was facing the Wind Witch.  "Can you purify on command?"

     "I–I think so."

     "When I say so," he said, his golden eyes boring into her own, "I want you to cut a path in the wind directly towards that woman with the fan.  If she tries to strike the wind back up, purify the winds again, so I have a clear path.  _Capice_?"

     "Yes.  But how are you—"   

     "Just trust me, 'kay?"

     _Oh, that's rich.  "Trust me" from the guy who lied through his teeth to me with no qualms whatsoever.  _"All right…"

     He fixed his gaze on the ship, which was now very close to docking.  "All right, get ready.  Three... two… one… _Now_!"

     Kagome took a deep breath and focused her energy, concentrating on the youki.  She aimed towards the Wind Witch and let go of the concentration.

     The familiar pink light appeared, and the hurricane-like winds ceased in a three-foot-wide radius.

     InuYasha withdrew his arms and shot towards the Wind Witch.

     Kagome watched the look of bewilderment and fear play across the woman's face, now illuminated by her pink miko energy.  The witch raised her hand to flick her fan again, but Kagome was ready.  She focused her energy, and another pink beam dissolved the powerful winds.

     InuYasha was nearly on top of the Wind Witch.  "SANKON—"

     "Dragon Blades Dance!" the Witch cried.

     Kagome gasped as blood spurted from InuYasha's side.  He cringed slightly, but kept charging forward.  "CLAWS OF—"

     The Witch's wrist was poised, ready to snap her fan and release another gust of torrential winds.  Kagome frenetically channeled her anger, fear, and confusion and released her energy. 

     The pink blast hit the Witch forcibly just as InuYasha finished, "—EXORCISIM!"

     The Witch flew backwards in the air and landed hard on the dock.  Her pale companion hurried over to her and knelt at her side.

     The boat docked with a loud detonation of its horn.  The gangplank fell onto the wooden dock with a heavy _clang_.

     Kagome sagged in relief.  They'd done it.  She didn't know when she'd felt so exhausted, yet elated at the same time.  Was this why InuYasha did this?  For the thrill?

     The Witch was painstakingly pulling herself up to a sitting position with the help of her companion.  Her kimono was torn in a few places across the front.  InuYasha still stood a few feet away, breathing heavily.  Kagome shivered at the blood stain slowly spreading across his white shirt.

     The Witch's mouth was moving.  Kagome strained to hear what she was saying.

     "Fool," the Witch was laughing.  "You think you're so smart.  Diverted a disaster did you?  Hanyou, the little hero.  What will your boss say when he realizes you let a far worse tragedy slip by you unnoticed?"

     "What crap are you spouting, bitch?" he snarled, not moving from his position.  "Those lies Naraku pays you to pass on won't work."

     "Believe what you wish," she said, shrugging.  She smoothed back the pieces of her hair that fallen out of the bun on the back of her head.  "If I were you, I would go check on Prime Minister Yoshida.  But do take your time.  He won't be going anywhere anytime soon as a corpse."

     "What?" gasped Kagome.

     InuYasha stilled.  Kagome could almost see the wheels turning in his head, as she watched him anxiously.

     "Dammit," she heard him swear.  He bounded over to her and scooped her up into his arms bridal-style.  "Don't think I'm finished with you, bitch!" he yelled over his shoulder.  "We'll finish this another day!"

     "Sayonara, Hanyou!" the Witch laughed.  "Next time it'll be _you _who goes home in a body bag!"

     As they sprinted away into the night, Kagome asked quietly, "Was she lying, InuYasha?"

     He didn't answer right away.  "Rocky was still at the cave when we left.  That's not to say he can't get from place to place on a moment's notice, but he gave no indication of even having a hint of something else going on besides this."  He blew out a breath.  "Looks as if The Bastard really might have foiled us this time."


	6. Sacrifice

**Charade**

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**Chapter Six: SACRIFICE**

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_._

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     **The door to Naraku's office **blew open with a loud bang.  He looked up from the codes he was writing in amusement.  _Only Kagura will _blow_ open a door without knocking… _

     "Naraku!"  The Wind Witch stormed into his office, her crimson eyes snapping.  "What is the meaning of this?  You told me InuYasha was _dead._"

     "Well, I assumed he was," answered Naraku calmly, "seeing as I sent a competent demon to finish him off.  It looks as if the attempt failed."

     "I'll say it did," she snarled, slapping her fan against her thigh with angry _whacks_.  "That bastard nearly killed me—he had some miko with him that cut a path through my wind."

     "A miko, you say?" Naraku's thin eyebrows rose.  "Could you describe her?"

     "I wasn't really looking at her," Kagura said, her fan still beating a constant cadence.  "I was focusing on keeping the hanyou occupied.  He fell for the trick, of course, and is now probably on his way to see if Yoshida truly is dead… but she had black hair, bangs, brown eyes, a plain dress—nothing defining.  Although—" Kagura's head snapped up—"now that I think of it, she looked a lot like Kikyo."

     "Kikyo, hm?"

     "Yeah.  Almost scary how much the looked alike."

     "How interesting," Naraku said softly.  "Kagura, fetch Kikyo for me.  I want to talk to her."

     "Why?"  The demoness's brow furrowed.  "You don't think it really was Kikyo, do you?  She was holed up in her room all day, just like she always is."

     "Nevertheless," said Naraku silkily, "send her in."

     "All right," Kagura shrugged, the movements of her fan slowing.  "Though I'm still mad at you, you know."

     "My dear, how can I ever make it up to you?"

     She regarded him nonchalantly.  "You really want to know?"

     "Enlighten me."

     "Never tell another _freaking_ lie ever again," she burst, stalking out of the room.  The door slammed behind her, rattling the walls so hard that several paintings fell off of Naraku's walls.

     "My, my," he chuckled.  "What a temper she has."

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   **The explosion shook the ground, **causing Miroku to fall to his feet.

     _What in the name of Buddha?_

     The Russian army hadn't advanced past Sapporo.  He was at least eight miles away by now.  So what had caused the explosion?  And where was Sango?

     Taking his chances, he ran into the area of flaming trees, not surprised to find a clearing.  He scanned the now-illuminated area, and frowned when he discovered three dead youkai scattered across the field.  Two were nearly unidentifiable—they'd obviously been blown apart by the blast—but the other had a dagger stuck in its throat. 

     He cautiously picked his way across the field—and then froze when he noticed the large crater gaping in the middle of the ground. 

     _Land mine.  _

     "Shit," he ground, not bothering to care that, as a man of Buddha, he should not be cussing.  "Sango?"

     Then he spotted her slumped against a tree.

     _Oh dear God._  This was the second time this week he found her almost dead—how many times would he have to go through the _"please don't let her be dead" _chant?    

     It killed him that he couldn't run over to her.  Instead, he found himself walking painstakingly across the field, stepping as lightly as he could; his robes soaked with an anxious sweat.  One wrong move and he, too, could be blown into oblivion…

     She was three feet away.  He thought the anticipation would do him in right then and there. 

     When he finally reached her (the moment seemed almost unreal) he scooped her up and began to retrace his steps towards the way he'd come.  It was even harder to walk now, with an extra hundred pounds—but also because all he wanted to do was pull her into a tight embrace and make sure she was all right.  She was breathing, yes, but also unconscious.  And unconsciousness could result in a coma…from which some people never awoke. 

     Where did the land mines end?  He had no way of knowing.  Perhaps their earlier campsite was resting upon explosive material and they were about to unwittingly sleep there.

     Then, in the midst of these thoughts, his foot suddenly slipped and he and Sango went tumbling towards the ground.  The only coherent thought he could form on the trip down was _"oh my god—I'm dead." _

     Miroku somehow managed to shift in the air, so he bore the brunt of the fall, rather than the unconscious Sango.  He gasped as he hit the ground.  _My lungs! _ He was pulling in air like mad, but his lungs weren't working.

     _Got the wind knocking out of me.  Dammit.  _He kept sucking in breaths, hoping that he would regain his ability to breathe soon—he was feeling lightheaded.  What was it Kagome-sama had told the stunned man that one time?  _"Hands over your head; it releases the tension on your lungs." _

     Unfortunately, his hands were not available to move at the moment…

     That was how Sango found him when she awoke a minute later: gasping and choking, his face turning blue.

     "Houshi-sama?" she said in alarm, sitting up too quickly.  "Ah…"  Her head spun.  "Crap."

     "Sat up…too fast," Miroku wheezed.

     "What's the matter, Houshi-sama?" she asked when the fuzzy black spots disappeared from her vision.  "Are you choking?"  At his nod of denial, she tried, "Is something obstructing your airways?"

     "Wind…knocked out…"

     "Put your hands over your head," she immediately ordered.

     "Could you…move…?"

     Sango looked down to find one of his arms crushed beneath his body, and the other entwined with her own.  Blushing, she pulled away and scrambled to her feet.

     _"Careful!"_ he gasped.  "Land…mines…" 

     Sango froze, hovering over Miroku's body.  "Land mines?  Is _that _what happened?  Oh…"  She pulled Miroku to his feet and lifted his arms over his head, like a puppeteer would do to a marionette.  "Breathe, Houshi-sama."

     He nodded, taking in gulps of air.  When the blueness of his face receded and his pulse was back to normal, Sango pressed, "Land mines?"

     "Yes.  I'm assuming you stepped on one and it exploded."

     "Actually—I was bleeding beneath the tree.  Two demons were running towards me… that's what must have set it off.  There must not be very many then, if after all that scuffling, only one exploded."

     Miroku relaxed.  "That's good."  He lowered his arms.  "Are you all right?  You got a pretty nasty bump on your head.  And you're bleeding…"

     Sango looked down and shrugged.  "Nothing I can't fix up; I'm a nurse, remember?"

     He gave her a faint smile.  "Right."  He watched her as she rolled her apron up and tied it around her arm to staunch the flow of the wound.  Much as he hated to do this…he had to know.  "Sango?"

     "Hmm?"

     "Why were you fighting with youkai?"

     "Oh."  She looked up.  "I was upset and I wasn't aware of my surroundings.  I let them sneak up on me...foolish, I know, but like I said, I wasn't paying attention.  They outnumbered me three to one—I handled it best I could."

     "Where did they come from?"

     "The woods." 

     Miroku caught the unsaid _duh_.  "Why were they there?"

     Sango had a guarded expression on her face.  "I don't know.  They just appeared out of nowhere and attacked me."

     "Without reason?"

     "Demons aren't exactly reasonable, Houshi-sama."

     He raised a brow.  "That's a bit narrow-minded, don't you think?  Not _all _demons are unreasonable."

     "Does this conversation have a point?  Or are you just set on grilling me for information?"  Her voice was tight with anger now.  He had a feeling he'd just upset her again.

     "I'm worried," said Miroku truthfully.  "I want to know why demons attacked you, unprovoked."

     She shrugged, but the tightness from her shoulders didn't disappear.  "I don't know.  It's not like demons make a habit of explaining their motives to those they attack."  She shivered convulsively.  "Let's get out of here.  This place gives me the creeps."

     "Yeah."  Miroku said.  He followed her out of the clearing with the feeling that he wasn't going to be getting much information out of her tonight.

     No need.  He was patient.  He would get what he wanted.  He just hoped that his theory of her guilt was wrong…  Although she hadn't acted very innocent tonight.  He had this strange feeling that she wasn't telling him everything.

     Why _had_ the demons attacked her?  If they were part of the Black Mask, and she was reporting to them, turning on her made no sense.  Unless she'd done something wrong, and she had to be punished.

     Or maybe she wasn't part of the Black Mask after all.  What if she was a hired assassin?

     He winced.  _From bad to worse._  Pretty soon he'd be imagining that she was a serial killer disguised as a guileless nurse.

     He wearily rubbed his face.  How had this all happened?  When he met her in the hospital, he'd noticed her looks, groped her, and she slapped him.  They'd talked during the hours they were awake, and he discovered Sango was more than a pretty face—she was a vibrant, intellectual, hard-working woman.  They'd fought back-to-back against the Russians, and traveled together for the past few days.  And now he was about to accuse her of attempting to murder the half-demon InuYasha, who happened to be part of the Channel?

     _Kami-sama, what crazy things war makes us do. _

.

.

.

     **"Ack!  InuYasha, not so fast!" **

     "Sorry, wench, you're just gonna have to endure this for a while.  We've lost too much time as it is."

     Kagome sighed.  "All right.  But you could try to avoid the low-hanging tree branches in the future?"

     "Yeah, sorry," he said absently.

     Kagome tightened her arms around his neck as he sped through the woods; she knew he was anxious to confirm the validity of the Wind Witch's claim.  Her mouth tightened in a grimace.  What if the Prime Minister _was_ dead?  She wasn't that educated about politics, but she knew enough to know that such an occurrence would _not _be good.

     Her stomach tightened.  "InuYasha?"

     "Now what?"

     "Um…my stomach hurts."

     "So?  What do you want me to do about it?  Kiss it better?"

     "No—this isn't a normal stomach ache—I think—"

     "Youki?"  He was suddenly alert.  "You sense a demonic presence?  Where's it coming from?  Can you tell?"

     "No, it's not a youki…I…InuYasha, let me down: I'm going to be sick."

     "What!" he spluttered, coming to an abrupt halt.  He let go of her legs and she tumbled to the ground.

     "Ouch!" she said, wincing. "Thanks a lot, you big brute.  You think you could have been a bit gentler?"

     "Are you really about to be sick?"

     "Yes, I—"  Her stomach heaved and she retched onto the ground, narrowly missing InuYasha's feet.

     "Watch it, wench!"

     "Well, I'm sorry!" she snapped, wiping her mouth.  "It's not as if I'm…aiming…"  She gagged and vomited again.

     InuYasha didn't even try to hide his disgust.  He turned away, closing his eyes.

     "What's the matter with you?" Kagome mumbled miserably.

     "I don't find pleasure in watching people chuck their meals."

     "You're so vulgar," she said.  "And that makes absolutely no sense.  You can tear someone's innards apart with your 'claws of blood', but you can't look at vomit?"

     "Uh, yeah, pretty much."

     She sighed.  "Go figure."

     "What's that supposed to mean?" he challenged, spinning around to stare at her insolently.  He figured it was safe to look, now that her gagging noises had stopped.

     "Nothing," she muttered, her face deathly pale.

     InuYasha suddenly felt guilty for being so crass.  "You all right, wench?"

     "Does it look like I'm all right?!"

     Properly chastised, InuYasha hung his head.  "Anything I could do to help?" he asked, sounding uncommonly gentle.

     "Not really," she sighed, still hunched over.  Her stomach was roiling.  "What I really want is someone told hold back my hair, but seeing as you can't tolerate vomit, I guess that's out of the—" She stopped in surprise when the black strands of hair dangling around her face suddenly disappeared.  "Inu—?"

     "Just warn me when you're going to be sick," he said gruffly, "so I can close my eyes and ears in time."

     _Close his ears?  How can he— Oh._  Touched by his unusual display of gallantry, she smiled. "Thank you, InuYasha."

     "Feh," he said softly.

.

.

.

     **"How do you know **where Yoshida is?" Kagome asked as they were once again speeding through the woods.  "I'm not sure that I understand."

     "He'll be with the Rocky," said InuYasha dourly.  "Those bastards had to have a way to lure him into a trap—I'll bet you anything that someone gave Rocky a false tip. He was dead set on protecting the PM."

     "But you're not positive?"

     "I'm 99.9% sure."

     "Yeah, and doesn't that absurd 1% usually fool us all?"

     "Do you have any better ideas?" he retorted.

     "No," she mumbled.  She decided to keep quiet; InuYasha obviously wasn't in the best of moods.

     Ten seconds later she piped up with: "So where exactly _is _the Prime Minister?"

     "He _was_ in a safe place, where not even Black Mask members could find him."

     "But…obviously they did.  Somehow."

     "Not necessarily.  They could have lured him and Rocky out of hiding if they made Rocky believe the PM was in danger."

     "Oh…"  All of these espionage tactics were way over Kagome's head.  "But you know where this 'safe place' is?"

     "Uh—well—not technically…"

     "What?" she squeaked.  "So how do you know where we're going?!"

     "My nose, stupid," snarled InuYasha.  "Rocky came this way.  He has a really distinctive scent."

     "I'm amazed you don't work for the police force—they would probably pay you a thousand yen a day to work for them: a dog who smells _and_ talks."

     "Hey, that wasn't funny!"

     "_Sor_ry."  Geez, what was his problem?  She was just trying to lighten things up.

     InuYasha was sniffing like mad now.

     "What's the matter?" Kagome asked.

     "I smell blood just up ahead."

     "Here?" said Kagome, dismayed.  They were on the outskirts of a village, traveling close to the shadow of the woods that fringed the town.  "_This _is the 'safe place'?"

     "No.  It doesn't smell like the Prime Minister."

     "Then who does it smell like?"

     InuYasha didn't answer.  But Kagome felt his shoulders tense up.  She waited in silent apprehension as they neared the smell of blood. 

      Her breath caught in her throat.  "There—something's in the middle of the path."

     "I know," InuYasha said grimly.

     "What is it?"

     "A body."

     "A body?  As in a—corpse?"

     "Yes."

     Amazing how much foreboding that one word could hold.  With InuYasha's speed, they were on top of the body before Kagome could ask InuYasha whose scent the body held.

     InuYasha stopped in front of the corpse and stared down at it.  Then he let out a large, shuddering breath.

     Kagome peered over his shoulder, trying to identify the body in the darkness.

     Then she gave a cry of recognition.  "That's—!"

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.

.

     **Sango was in Miroku's **arms again.  But this time, there was no joking, no playful banter.  Just silence.  A heavy, oppressive silence.

     "Tell me why we're traveling in the dark again?" she asked crossly.

     "Because," explained Miroku patiently, "your wounds need to be tended to immediately.  And I have neither the qualification nor the supplies to do so."

     "It's just a few scratches on my arm."

     He gave her a look.

     "They aren't that serious!" she said defensively.

     "If you weren't a nurse, I'd almost think that you were afraid of the hospital."

     "Now that would be a quandary, wouldn't it?"

     She was tense.  Very tense.  He began to gently rub her back with the hand that was supporting that region.  He may suspect her of villainous activity…but he she was still a woman—and he still liked her.

     She stiffened immediately.  "What are you doing, Houshi-sama?"

     "Helping you relax."

     "I can relax without your help, thank you very much."

     _Touché._  "Then how come you're not doing so?"

     She didn't have an answer to that.

     "Just trust me a little, Sango," he said quietly.  "I won't hurt you."

     A tear cascaded down her cheek.  "It's a bit late for that."

     Miroku stopped in the middle of the pathway and carefully set her down on her feet.  "I think it's time for a little heart-to-heart."

     Her head was turned. "Go ahead.  Speak."

     How was he going to do this?  He could ask her straight out, but what if she lied?

     He'd just have to give her the benefit of the doubt.  "Sango—I need to know: are you part of the Black Mask?"

     Her head shot up and she stared at him with large eyes.  "The—no!  I—never!  How would I do that?  I hate demons!  I _despise _them—I could never, never betray my people like that."

     Miroku didn't quite know how to handle her reaction.  First off, she actually _knew _what the Black Mask was…but then she claimed to detest any form of youkai.  Something didn't quite add up.

     Then he realized Sango was sobbing her heart out.  "Sango…?  Sango, what's the matter?"

     She shook her head, unable to speak.

     Miroku took a leap of faith and pulled her into his arms, knowing full well that if she was an assassin, or a Black Mask member, she could stab him in the back right now.

     But all she did was bury her face in his robes and weep harder.

     Miroku had seen many poor actresses in his day—and he had also seen many amazing actresses.  The amazing actresses were too dramatic; the poor ones couldn't generate enough tears to even give the appearance that they were crying.

     Sango's tears were real; she was heartbroken.

     He tightened his embrace, ready to kill whatever had hurt her this bad.  "Sango," he murmured, running his fingers through her hair.  "It's okay…let it out…"

     He let her sob for a while longer, not saying a word, just gently rocking her as she cried, there in the middle of the road.  When her tears slowed a bit, he whispered, "You can tell me if you want."

     "I wish I could," she said, her voice breaking.  "But there are some things in life that you j-just can't—tell anyone."

     Miroku sighed and nodded, still stroking her hair.  "Can you sugarcoat it?  Tell me the bare details?  I don't want you to be sad, Sango…"

     She was quiet for so long that he began to think she hadn't heard him.  "I lived in this very village we're approaching."

     Miroku started at her words.  Was that why she didn't want to go to the hospital there? 

     "The villagers who live there don't belong there.  They moved in after my village was burned to the ground—after all its inhabitants were slaughtered by demons."

     "But—"

     "I was the only one who survived.  They thought I was dead too—I was half buried in the ground when I awoke."  She pulled in a shuddering breath and circled her arms around Miroku's waist.  "The demons weren't tiny, stupid demons.  These were the intelligent ones.  They slaughtered all the women and children first, and then lined the exterminators of the village to—to fight each other."

     "Wait," Miroku said slowly.  "If what you said is true, they should have killed you first.  Why didn't they?  Were you hidden?"

     "No," she said.  "I was lined up with the rest of the exterminators.  The only woman…and the best in the village."

     Miroku was rendered speechless for a moment.

     "They lined us up in two rows, each person facing another.  They gave the order: fight or die.  A few refused to fight their friends and they—they were run through with swords."  She shuddered again, and held him tighter.  Miroku listened, dread filling his heart. 

     "I was paired with my brother."

     "Oh Sango," he whispered.

     "We didn't fight, only sparred, like we'd done for years.  We hoped that the demons wouldn't notice, that they'd be too focused on the others…but one did notice and notched his arrow to shoot him in the back.  I saw him and threw my Hiraikotsu at him, killing him.  But that—just drew even more attention to us.  My brother and I were showered with arrows.  He died; I passed out.  I was halfway buried—they didn't bother to give our village a proper burial—and pulled myself up a few hours later."

     By the time she paused to take a breath, her voice wasn't weepy anymore, just bitter and flat.  Miroku held on to her as if she was his only lifeline.

     "Houshi-sama, what I'm going to tell you I haven't told anyone else.  And after you hear what I tell you, I will know one of two things: either you are honest, and I have been deceived; or you are deceitful and I know the truth.  If the latter case is correct, I will have to kill you."

     "And if the former is correct?" Miroku said quietly.

     "You are free to kill me."

     Knowing the weight of these words, Miroku nodded.  "I understand."  What in the name of Buddha was she about to tell him?

     She began her story.  "When I 'rose from the grave', you could say, there was a traveler watching me. 

.

     "'So you are not dead, young woman,' he said.

     "'Damn right I'm not,' I said.  'I will…kill…every one of those murdering bastards the moment I find them.'

     "'That would be impossible,' he said.  'They are all dead.  Finished off when the neighboring village arrived.  They thought you were all dead.  I was watching from the woods.'

     "I was furious.  Not only had they murdered my family, my friends, my village…but now I couldn't even get revenge.  'Why did they attack us?' I asked the man.

     "'I heard the demons mention a name: "InuYasha" they said.  The hanyou.'

     "'How do I know you are truthful?' I asked.

     "'What reason would I have to lie?' he said. 'Ask around.  They will tell you who ordered this attack.'

.    

     "I asked around in neighboring villages, it was confirmed that a mysterious half-demon named InuYasha was indeed seen in the area.  I, desperate for vengeance, set out on a quest to hunt down and murder this half-demon.

     "Eventually I was employed by a man from the Channel who told me that InuYasha was a notorious member of the Black Mask.  He, too, was desperate to see InuYasha's death."

     Miroku couldn't hold it in any longer.  "But—"

     "Just listen," Sango whispered harshly.

     "The man hired me to kill InuYasha," she continued, "me and another woman.  We were told to ambush his house on a planned night and kill him.  I counted down the days to that planned night."

     "Who," Miroku couldn't help interrupting, "was the other woman?"

     "I didn't know her name; neither did she know mine. But she had black hair and grey eyes—and she was a priestess.  Anyhow, we ambushed the half-demon on the specified night—he was in the very place the man told us he'd be—only…I didn't find a demon, or even a half-demon.  I found a human."

     A chill went down Miroku's back.  "His human night.  All half-demons have a human night; that's when they are the most vulnerable."

     "Yes.  Something didn't feel right about the situation; I was supposed to attack a demon, not a human!  And then that priestess woman started saying weird stuff.  'InuYasha,' she said, 'poor fool.  Didn't you know I was working for your enemy the entire time?  You deluded boy; how could you _ever_ think I would join you in your cause?'  The man was stupefied—and he looked so…_betrayed._  Then the priestess lunged at him with a knife; the man, even as a human, easily dodged her swipe.  I watched in the background as they fought, horribly confused.  They talked as they fought; the priestess yelling angrily and the man pleading.  Then the miko said something that made InuYasha's face contort with rage.  He was still stronger than the miko as a human; he raised his arm to strike her…and all of a sudden I was sick of killing.  I didn't want anyone to die.  I threw my Hiraikotsu at him and knocked him out.  Then I grabbed the miko and dragged her out of that cursed hut."  She took a deep breath.

     "But then, Houshi-sama, I met you.  Though are you corrupt beyond belief, you don't seem like the kind of person it takes to be in the Black Mask.  You knew and trusted InuYasha.  And that look on his face that night—that miko sounded deceitful…not him."  She looked at him with her beautiful eyes, her gaze intense.  "Tell me the _truth_, Houshi-sama, if you really are a man.  A true man does not lie, even if his information is incriminating.  I swear if you lie to me, I will hunt you down and kill you."

     "I understand, Sango."

     "Are you part of the Black Mask?  No—are you associated with the Black Mask in any way?"

     "No."

     She took a breath.  "Is InuYasha part of the Black Mask?"

     "Contrary to popular thought…no, he is not."  He gave Sango a sharp look.  "Not even his brother knows InuYasha's true loyalties; if you squeal, it is certain that he will kill you."

     "No need," she said in a strangled voice.  She pulled away from his embrace.  "You may kill me now, Houshi-sama."

    "Sango," said Miroku, frowning.  "You were deceived by whoever told you those lies; you were taken advantage of in your grief.  There is no shame in that."

     "I haven't told you everything yet," she said, her voice quivering.

     Miroku froze.  His body literally ached with pain—what if he was forced to kill her?  He knew that in some situations, he would have no choice.  _War is not a time to sprout a conscience, _Rocky had told him.  _And you, being a priest, will find that especially trying.  Are you sure you want to join our cause?_  Miroku had said yes.

     "When we were leaving the hut," Sango whispered, her eyes downcast, "I noticed a file of papers wedged between a ceramic pot and the wall.  I had been instructed to steal vital Black Mask information… but it looks like I actually stole information from InuYasha's cause and…gave it to the Black Mask."  She closed her eyes.  "I am not afraid to die, Houshi-sama.  I know the consequences of my actions.  You may kill me when you are ready."

     Miroku looked down at the ground, clenching and unclenching his fist around his staff.  Sango was classified as an enemy spy.  It didn't matter that she had unwillingly or unknowingly aided Black Mask members; the fact was that she had contributed to their cause.  By the Channel's standards, she was considered a spy, and he, as a Channel member, was required to kill her.  Not knowing her loyalties, she could potentially harm the Channel again.

     He set his jaw.  Is this how InuYasha felt when he was betrayed by the miko?  How had he felt when he was fighting his lover?  _Like hell_, Miroku thought.  _That's probably what he felt like: hell._

     Love and war didn't mix.  Over and over again in history, men and women were forced to choose between one or the other.

     He took a deep breath and pulled his dagger from the hidden pocket in his robes.  He'd heard horror stories of men who had committed terrible deeds in war, for their cause.

     He would soon join their ranks.

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.

     **Sango heard Miroku unsheathe **his dagger.  Her eyes still closed, she forced herself to inhale deeply and steadily.  She would not have him believe she was scared.  Proudly and honorably was how she would die.  She wasn't ashamed of her actions, even though they had incriminated her; he had acted out of love for her brother, her father, and her village.

     Her only regret was that she never had a chance to find true love.

     Sango heard Miroku's resigned footsteps inch closer to her.  She kept her eyes closed.  She couldn't watch herself be killed…and she couldn't bear to see Miroku's face as he followed through with his obligation.

     Her muscles tightened with anticipation as she heard the _whoosh_ of the dagger as it was raised…

     And then the sound of it dropping to the ground?

     Her eyes flew open as she felt warm lips upon hers.  _What the—?!_

     Miroku's face was anguished as he pulled away.  His hands crept up to her face, and he gently wiped away her tears with his thumbs.  "I can't do it, Sango," he whispered huskily.  "I can't.  I'm willing to risk my life, my reputation—I can't kill you.  You've endured too much pain already."

     His words stabbed her heart.  "That's what this is—pity?"

     He shook his head fervently, his eyes coming to meet hers once again.  "Never, Sango.  I don't know if this is love…or just infatuation…but _never _pity."

     He drew in a breath.  "I can't…I don't understand this—my feelings.  I don't know.  You confuse me.  I want to trust you, Sango…so much…"

     "I understand, Houshi-sama."  He didn't love her.  "You can't bring yourself to murder a woman."

     "No, that's not it either."  He laughed a little.  "Sango, you're completely missing the point.  I've never been in love before, so how can I know if this is real?  I've only known you for a few days now, but this feeling is unlike anything I have ever felt."  He took another breath.  "I don't know, Sango, but this sure as hell feels like love."

     Salty tears rolled down her cheeks.  He wiped away her tears again.  "What is it, sweetheart?"

     She shook her head.  "You didn't have to do that, Miroku.  You didn't have to sacrifice yourself for me."

     "You're right—I didn't have to."  He brought his face closer to hers, so that his forehead was resting against hers.  "But I _wanted_ to."  Then it hit him.  "Sango?  Could you say my name again?  Just to make sure I didn't imagine it?"

     She laughed through her tears.  "A little slow on the uptake, aren't you, _Miroku_?"

     A roguish smile split the monk's face.  "You were really a demon exterminator?"

     "I really was," she said, smiling as she slipped her arms around his neck.  "I would go back to it again if I had the chance."

     Miroku frowned a bit.  "Not all demons are bad, Sango."

     "No," she agreed.  "But some are.  I'm like a policeman, in a way.  Discipline the good guys, catch—or kill—the bad ones."

     "You are one amazing woman," he whispered, his gaze resting on her mouth.

     She smiled and leaned upwards to peck him on the lips.  "Thank you."

     Miroku frowned in disappointment.  "That's all I get?"

     Her laugh was cut off as he once again caught her lips with his own.  She closed her eyes, savoring the sensation of Miroku's mouth upon hers.  His arms tightened around her waist, pulling her closer.  The two melted into each other's embrace, all other thoughts and fears gliding away like darkness under the glare of the sun.

.

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     **"That's—!" Kagome's horrified **whisperwas cut off as InuYasha shushed her.  "_Rocky?_" Kagome continued, ignoring InuYasha's command.  "I thought she said they were after Yoshida!"

     "Rocky must have been in the way."  InuYasha's face was impassive as he stared down at his former boss—former friend.

     "Is he—really dead?" Kagome asked tentatively.  "Maybe he's just unconscious?"

     InuYasha pointed to a blob resting next to the corpse.  "I doubt it.  That right there is his heart."

     Kagome shrieked and threw herself against InuYasha's side.  He rolled his eyes.  "And you call yourself a nurse?"

     "I never had to deal with—bodily abuse like this!  This is—this is the work of a deranged madman!"

     "That's a pretty good description of Naraku."  He sighed a bit despondently.  "You know that besides Kouga, Rocky was the only one who knew my name?"

     "Kouga?" Kagome frowned.  "Who's Kouga?"

     "It's not important."  He mentally cursed himself for slipping.  The events of the past two days, his lack of sleep, and the influence of this wench were muddling his mind.  They need to find Yoshida, get him to safety, and find someplace to sleep.  "Did you know his real name was Rocco?"

     "Rocco?" she repeated.  "What kind of name is that?"

     "Italian."

     Her eyes widened.  "Rocky was _Italian_?"

     "Sure was.  Said that his people were an embarrassment to the world for letting themselves be hired by the Russians to eradicate youkai and the Japanese."

     "Wow," murmured Kagome.  _Guess it just goes to show… _"But who will be the new leader of the Channel?" she wondered aloud.__

     InuYasha smiled a bit.  "Stupid wench.  This isn't a democratic organization.  Rocky was just the unofficial head man for our specific division.  With so many leaders, it's impossible for the enemy to wipe out a whole network with just one murder."  He sighed.  "All we lost was a brilliant tactician and a good man.  A good man," he repeated softly.

     Kagome looked up at him with understanding eyes.  "I'll forgive your 'stupid wench' comment in light of your loss."

     "Not my loss…the Channel's loss.  Japan's loss."  All of a sudden he drew his arm back and sent a quiet "Sankon Tessou" towards Rocky.

     Kagome shrieked again as blood spurted out from the corpse.  "InuYasha!  What are you doing?!"

     "Making it impossible for him to be identified.  From now on, he's just another war statistic."

     Kagome looked at the marred face and realized that in doing so, InuYasha had just protected the living members of the Channel.  _Rocky would have wanted this_, she thought.  Perhaps it was even an unwritten rule in the Channel.

     "He deserved a more honorable death," Kagome said.

     "Yeah," said InuYasha regretfully.  "But what can you do?  That's war."

     Kagome nodded.  "I'm sorry, InuYasha."

     He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, then turned away, and inscrutable expression on his face.  "Thanks, wench," he said gruffly.

     She smiled.  "You're welcome." 

     "Well," InuYasha said, stooping down so Kagome could climb onto his back, "if Rocky were here, he'd be telling us to quit moping around like two lost orphans and get on finding the PM."

     "And who are we to ignore the command of the almighty Rocky?"

     "Exactly."  He waited until she was comfortably settled on his back, then took off again.

     "InuYasha?"

     "Hmm?"

     "Do you know where you're going this time?  Or are you just going to follow your nose again?"

     "No, I have pretty good idea where to find Yoshida; no doubt Rocky would have arranged a backup place for him to run to if things went wrong."

     "If he's still alive, that is," Kagome pointed out.

     "You mean Yoshida?  Oh, he's alive.  Lucky bastard."

     "What!  How can you possibly know that?"

     InuYasha adjusted his arm so that it was now resting under Kagome's rear rather than under her leg, freeing his other arm.

     Kagome squeaked.  "What are you doing, you pervert?!"

     "Oh, don't get your stockings in a tangle.  Take the dumb ring before I drop you."

     "Huh?  What ring?"  She looked closer at his hand and noticed a simple silver ring with the engraving of a dragon pushed on his index finger.  "Oh, this?"  She pulled it off and, much to her relief, InuYasha slipped his other arm through her leg again.  "What is this?"

     "Yoshida's seal ring.  That's what he uses to seal his special letters."

     "His seal ring?" echoed Kagome.  "Why in the world do you have it?"

     "I took it off Rocky's finger back there."

     "You did?  When?  And what the hell was Rocky doing with it?"

     "Isn't it glaringly obvious?  That Wind Bitch told us that the PM was dead, only instead, we find _Rocky _murdered—wearing Yoshida's ring."

     "So?" Kagome said, getting a little tired of all this pretense and deception.

     "Would you use your brain for once?  They switched identities.  Rocky died under the identity of the Prime Minister.  Yoshida is traipsing across the country as Rocky.  Rocky just committed the ultimate sacrifice for what he believed in."

     "This wasn't even his country," Kagome murmured in amazement.  She glanced back towards the body, which was now far in the distance.  "But why leave him in the middle of the path like that?"

     "The assassins probably wagered that it would be more disrespectful to have the Prime Minister laid to rest in such a primitive and _un_-royal place."  He turned around to look at her and smirked.  "Guess they're in for a big surprise, huh?"

     "Mmm."  Kagome again glanced back at the body of the Italian who had given his life for the welfare of Japan.  Then she turned back around, just in time to see the first rays of light peek over the tops of the trees in the dawning of a new day.

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        And yet another charade is revealed…or make that a few charades.  Hehe.  Starting to see the significance of the title?

     As always, tell me what you thought of the chapter.  "Good, bad, in-between."  (I really should just make this my quote.  Maybe someday it'll appear in a book of quotations under my name.)

     'Til next time!  Ja ne!


	7. Someday

**Charade **

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**Chapter Seven: SOMEDAY**

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"Oi, wench, wake up!You can't sleep yet! I need you to do me a favor."

"Huh…?" Kagome said sleepily, lifting her head from Inuyasha's shoulder. "Whatsa matter?" She yawned widely.

"No yawning," Inuyasha said, turning around to grin at her evilly. "You've only been up twenty-four hours; what's the big deal?"

"_Only _twenty-four hours?" Kagome said indignantly. "I usually get at _least_ four hours of sleep a night! I can't do the whole stay awake for three days straight then sleep for three days straight like you maniacs do."

"Well, you're traveling with one of us 'maniacs' now, so get used to it. Besides, I need you to scan the area for any youki."

"Believe me, if I felt any youki, you'd know about it," she mumbled.

"Does that mean we're clear?"

"Yeah, we're clear."

"Good, 'cause I'm ready for a quick nap."

"A _what!_You hypocrite, weren't you just lecturing me for yawning?!"

"Hey, I've been up forty-eight hours now, show a little respect."

"Hypocrite," she maintained under her breath.

"I heard that. Maybe I should just drop you right here?"

"No, I'll be good," she sighed.

"That's better." He stopped in a little alcove not far off from the path. "Half an hour, okay?"

"What happened to finding Yoshida as soon as possible?"

"I can't find him if I'm asleep on my feet and my senses are all screwy, can I? Half an hour wench—don't forget."

"O_kay_." She sat on the grass, watching Inuyasha as he fell asleep in the breadth of a second. She sighed and stared up at the rising sun, basking in the sunlight. _This is so surreal,_ she thought. _Sitting here in the middle of a grassy field…I should be back in the hospital right now, caring for the wounded_. A small smile flitted across her face. _I wonder if Kitosumo even noticed I'm gone? Chances are he's sending frenzied prayers of thanks up to heaven right now_.

She ran a hand through her hair and winced; her hair was so tangled and snarled that she wasn't able to move her fingers another quarter of an inch without ripping a couple hundred hairs out. "Man, I need a bath." She looked around, half hoping to see a lake appear out of nowhere. Not to her surprise, when a body of water didn't spring up out of nowhere, she shrugged and laid down on the grass beside Inuyasha. She watched the clouds above her float by at a leisurely pace. Her mouth twitched in amusement as Inuyasha started snoring quietly. She began to list every possible way she could wake him up in half an hour's time…

-

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-

Inuyasha woke slowly, his eyes blinking away the sleep. Yawning widely, he rolled his head a bit, loosening the muscles and joints.

Then he noticed the color of the sky.

It was completely black.

He bolted to his feet in a rush of dread. _Hell, how long did I sleep?_ His ears twitched convulsively and his eyes shifted so fast he nearly gave himself a headache. Where was Kagome? She should have woken him up hours ago!

He knew better than to dash through the proximity yelling her name like an idiot—but at least he could spare a few minutes looking for her. A growl rose in the back of his throat. What had happened to her? Had she been kidnapped? Murdered?

He knew better than to call out her name. Instead, he flicked his ears, tuning into the slightest sound. Nothing.

What a pain. Now he'd have to go _search_ for her.

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Sango's form grew more tense with every step they took towards her village.

"Sango, are you sure you want to—"

"Yes," she said forcefully. "See that big white tent in the middle of the commons? That wasn't there when I left. Does it remind you of anything?"

"A impromptu field hospital?"

Their eyes met and in one accord, they sped up their pace.

"You think it's Kitosumo and the lot?" Miroku asked.

"Most likely," she replied, "if they followed the same path we did."

"You thinking of joining back up with them?"

She shrugged. "What else is there to do? Nursing is all I've got right now. I can't go back to being a demon exterminator, now that everything I've ever fought for seems to be a farce, and my family's all dead. Hell, the only reason I'm alive is because I'm with you. I've probably got a bounty on my head already; I'm surprised Inuyasha didn't recognize me."

"You're not in uniform—and aside from that, an exterminator's actual aura changes when they're in battle mode. I noticed that when we were fighting together back in Sapporo."

"Yes," she said, "but you forget Inuyasha's an inu-hanyou. He knows my scent."

Miroku couldn't find a reply to that.

"What about you, Houshi-sama?" she asked, unconsciously falling back into the pattern of tacking the honorific onto his title. "What are you going to do?"

"Stay with you. I have work to do, anyway." He didn't tell her that Kitosumo was under suspect by those higher up in the ranks of the Channel. "And it's 'Miroku', remember?"

"Not if we're reverting back to our old roles. Wouldn't it be a little odd if a nurse and monk started calling each other by familiar terms?"

He saw her point. "I suppose you're right," he sighed, lamenting the loss.

"Come on." She broke into a run, as if sensing an impending danger on their heels. Miroku followed suit, sprinting after her. How far behind was the Russian army? How were Kagome-sama and Inuyasha faring? And what on earth were they doing? Surely Rocky would allow Inuyasha to drag Kagome on a mission; that was just stupidity.

"Houshi-sama." Sango had stopped in her tracks.

"What's the matter?"

"Look." She pointed at the tent. "Jyaki."

Miroku started. "You can…sense jyaki?"

She shrugged uncomfortably. "Taijiya training. It's essential. But more importantly—what's going on in that tent?"

"Stay beside me," he said quietly.

She looked at him, surprised, and then her face broke into a smile. He'd just handed her the best compliment possible: he didn't tell her to stay behind him—he told her to stay _beside_ him.

-

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-

_Damn it, Kagome, what happened to you?_ Inuyasha shifted through the foliage, searching for a glimpse of black or blue. _Could you really have wandered off so far in such a short period of time?_ He looked up at the sky. He didn't have much time left to look for her. Yoshida was still out there, and if he didn't find him first, some Naraku thug would and undoubtedly kill him.

Buried in thought, Inuyasha almost missed the one clue that saved his hide. He did a double take and then squinted through the leaves. Was that…light? Seeing no better alternative, he sprung forward into the foliage and sprinted towards the pale blue light glowing in the distance.

When a good half hour had gone by and he still hadn't reached this mysterious light, he began to doubt his instincts. _What if it's a trap? Unlike one I've ever heard of before, but it shouldn't have taken me this long to find this damn light—especially being hanyou_. He paused for a minute, uncertain whether to continue forward, but decided to push in.

_Another half hour_, he thought. _If it takes any longer than that, I'm turning back around_.

Fortunately, the blue light did seem to get brighter the longer he ran, and before long he crashed headlong into some unseen force. Rubbing his head in pain, his eyes darted back and forth, looking for the source of his downfall. There was nothing. Absolutely nothing but the same trees and bushes he'd been running through for the past hour.

He didn't slip. He _never_ slipped. He'd crashed into something—or something crashed into _him_.

_Magic?__ Holy powers? Maybe Naraku's gotten on the good side of some dark priest?_ He moved forward, certain that the light seemed brighter now, and bumped his head against something.

_What the—?!_

Feeling somewhat like a mime, he placed his hands straight in front of him, and jumped when the rested on…_something_ that could not be seen.

What in the hells was this? A…barrier of some kind?

His ears twitched at the memory. Rocky had mentioned something like that before… priests and priestesses having strong enough holy powers to form a protective bubble around them. Usually, Rocky had explained, these powers lay dormant until times or war and extremity. "That's why no one's really heard of such a thing before—these occurrences are too infrequent to be remembered as more than oddities of war."

"But then why don't we discuss this in military school?" Inuyasha had asked. "That's kind of an important point when planning strategy."

Rocky had given him a look. "You really think soldiers want to hear that they're going to be fighting against a relatively unknown force of religion and magic?"

"Absurd or not, it's better to be prepared!"

He had shrugged. "Hey, some nutcases still refuse to believe that youkai exist. I hear them and the International Flat Earth Society still get together annually for New Year's bashes."

Now, Inuyasha tried pounding against this _barrier_ thing. Unbreakable. Typical—what did he expect? That a protective force could be shattered with the scratch of a nail?

"Hey!" he yelled, kicking at the barrier. "Anyone in there?"

His eyes narrowed. He'd seen a glimmer of something…

Stepping back, he raised his claws and yelled, _"Sankon Tessou!"_ His blades bounced harmlessly off the barrier, leaving him back where he started. "Dammit!" He pressed his face against the barrier. "Kagome! Yo, wench, are you in there?! Because if you're not, I'm going to just leave right now!"

Was it his imagination, or did the barrier pulse a bit?

_This is insanity. _Did he actually believe that the little miko had put up this barrier? He hardly thought she was strong enough to do harm to someone with her power… but then again, she _had _fried that guy back at the hospital… He shivered involuntarily and began to yell again. If she had erected the barrier, that meant she was in some sort of danger. "Kagome! It's me! Open up!"

'_Open up.' This gets more ridiculous by the second._

The barrier pulsed again, and gradually began to shrink. Inuyasha moved forward with each consecutive decrease in size, hoping to reach the center of the circle.

"Stop!"

He froze, recognizing Kagome's voice. "Kagome?"

"Inuyasha? Is—"

He flinched "Gah! Stupid wench, don't speak the name!"

"Oh…sorry…"

"Where are you?" He peered forward. "I still can't see you!"

"I'm in here… but how can I be sure that's you?"

"How can I be sure it's you? You could be another marionette of Naraku's. Of course, if you are, I can just rip you to shreds when you reveal yourself."

"You sure _sound_ like In— err, Hanyou," she muttered. "Yet still…"

"It's him," a rasping voice said. "I can smell him."

"Sir?"

"What? Who the hell is in there with you?" Inuyasha demanded.

"It's…oh you'll see in a minute. You said it—smells like him, sir?"

"Can't run from inuyouaki blood," the voice said wryly.

"Kagome! Get rid of this damn thing right now!"

"That's Inuyasha all right," he heard her mutter.

The bubble suddenly disappeared, and there sat Kagome, her hair tangled and knotted, her face sporting a myriad of scratches and cuts.

But what Inuyasha was more concerned with was the man resting on her lap.

-

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-

Miroku held his hand out, motioning for her to stop. He leaned towards the opening of the tent, listening for any sounds inside. Everything was still.

Sango suddenly pushed past him and burst into the tent, brandishing her measly dagger in defense.

"_Sango_!" Miroku cried in alarm, rushing in after her. "What d'you think you're…doing…"

Sango held her stance, scanning the tent in confusion for a moment. "It's the element of surprise, Houshi-sama," she said in a low voice. "Catch a youkai off guard, you have that small window before it has time to transform or react. If you take advantage of the opportunity and attack, you can be done with it in a sliver of time."

Miroku stared at her. "What if it's innocent?"

She shrugged uncomfortably. "Most of the time it's not. And that window is only to wound it and gain the upper hand, not kill it. That'll take much longer."

Miroku didn't particularly hold with her method of reasoning…but then, he'd never killed youkai for a living. _And I usually deal with the smarter youkai_, he reminded himself. _Sango's mainly been dealing with the thugs of youkai society_.

"What," Sango breathed, "is this?"

Miroku shook his head. "Good question."

They were looking upon the typical setup of a field hospital tent: the bodies laid side-by-side on linen sheets, a small operating "table" set up in the far right corner… only, there was no one here, save for the bodies, which looked very much dead.

"A poison gas attack?" Miroku guessed.

"By whom? As far as we know, the Russians are still a good day behind us. The radical youkai groups have been keeping low profiles for a while now… when one goes underground, the others tend to as well, so as to not give away their position…" She glanced at him, as if just remembering who she was speaking to, and fell silent.

"How is it that you know so much about radical youkai groups?" he asked softly.

"Well, I was in league with one for a while, remember?" she answered sarcastically. "But when your livelihood is dependent on tracking moves of youkai, you tend to pick up patterns. They're not so different from humans, Miroku. Once you learn the patterns of the human race, just amplify that a bit, and you're set."

He inclined his head slightly. She was smarter than he'd given her credit for. Perhaps if he convinced Rocky to let her join their cause… that could possibly throw Naraku off balance. And she _did_ have inside information that could aid them.

_And possibly aid the other side as well_, he reminded himself. _Do you really want to put her in that kind of danger? If Naraku got his hands on her…_

"There's something…fishy about this," Sango was saying. "It feels unnatural. All these dead bodies, laid out so properly, and not a soul here."

"There might have been danger and they had to leave quickly."

"Maybe." She suddenly moved and knelt by a soldier, touching his skin. "It's—warm," she said in surprise. She laid her hand on his cheek. "As is his cheek." She pressed her ear to his heart. "But…it's not beating. And he's not breathing!"

"He hasn't been dead long, then."

"Bodies turn cold a few minutes after the heart stops, Houshi-sama, you should know that!"

"If it was a slow death, some of that heat may still be retained. Which means these bodies have just died recently."

"All at the same time? There's no hint of gas in the air…" She moved to the next body. "Warm…warm…warm… Miroku, all these bodies are warm! They couldn't have all died at the same time!"

Miroku's brow furrowed, and he leaned on his staff. _What in the name of Buddha is going on here?_

"Unless…" Sango suddenly clapped her hand over her mouth. "Houshi-sama…get out _now_."

"What?" he stammered as Sango forcibly pushed him outside of the tent. "What's the matter?"

She dragged him a good ten feet away from the entrance before she removed her hand from her mouth. "A gassed death seems the only logical explanation. I was afraid that perhaps a colorless and odorless gas may still linger…"

"Could that have anything to do with the bodies still being warm?" he asked.

"I don't see how it could…unless it's some rare condition I've never heard about…"

Miroku's eyes narrowed.

"Houshi-sama…?"

"Something's…not right…" He stared hard at the tent, an unease growing within him.

"What?" Sango unconsciously moved closer to him. "What's the matter?"

"The jyaki has…changed."

-

-

-

"What the…_hell_…are you doing here?" Inuyasha yelled, dropping to his feet beside Kagome to roughly pull the man off her lap.

"Well, when is wandering through the forest trying to escape a group of terrorists after one's hide, one really doesn't care _where_ one is going," the man snapped.

"But you of all people should know how important it is to submerge yourself in a large group of people," Inuyasha shot back, taking his pulse.

"Excuse me for my momentary lapse of reason—it tends to fluctuate when my life is in danger."

"Which makes you even more vulnerable. Those who can keep their heads in life-threatening situations are the ones that survive."

"Excuse me, Mr. Darwin," Kagome interrupted, "but I'm afraid the last thing Prime Minister needs right now is a lecture."

Inuyasha glared at her. "He needs this lecture so he doesn't pull something this _stupid_ ever again."

"Inuyasha!" she hissed. "This is the _Prime Minister_ you're talking about!"

"What did I say about the name?!"

"Like he's going to remember it!" she cried, exasperated. "Don't flatter yourself. We need to get him to safety."

"What the hell have I been saying for the past five minutes?" He threw his hands up in the air.

"Something about survival of the fittest, I believe."

"And you, wench," Inuyasha snarled at Kagome, "what possibly compelled you to wander off by yourself and erect this barrier thing?"

"I felt a youki."

This caused Inuyasha pause. "Huh?"

"When you were asleep," she explained patiently, "a sharp pain in my chest jolted me awake. I felt a strong youki not far away, so instead of wasting time by waking you up, I went to see what it was."

"You—went—to see—" Inuyasha spluttered.

"Don't mind him," she told the Prime Minister. "He tends to have convulsions when he misses out on the action."

"Ah," Yoshida nodded.

"Action? What action? You could have been killed, wench!"

"Oh please." She waved a hand at him. "It was only a small youkai—weird little squirrel thing that was about to chomp this good man's head off, but I fried it before it could have a taste."

"You made it sizzle in that pink light of yours?" he clarified.

"Yep. Not hard to get rid of. Then, fearing its friends would come back, I put up this barrier to protect us until you came."

"How did you know I would come?"

"I just did," she said simply.

Inuyasha colored a bit. "Oh." His brow furrowed. "But you said it wasn't far away…I traveled for nearly an hour before I reached you guys."

Now it was Kagome's turn to blush. "Oh…well…there was a bit of a chase…"

"Between you and the squirrel?"

"Between her and a _pack_ of squirrels," Yoshida put in. "I had run ahead when I saw those big bushy demon things; she ran after me, and the squirrels after her. She would sent back a bolt of power every so often, between calling me various names."

Inuyasha gave her a slanted look, which she pointedly ignored. "Hypocrite," he said under his breath.

"Hey—_I _didn't know he was the Prime Minister. I had an excuse!"

He openly stared at her. "You didn't know he was the Prime Minister."

"It's not like I've ever seen him before!"

"You've never gone to any elections?"

"I'm a woman! You think men would appreciate me involving myself in politics?"

"That's bullshit and you know it."

"Of course I know it; that doesn't make it any less true."

"Excuse me," Yoshida interrupted. "But weren't you going to get safety, somehow…?"

Kagome blinked down at him. "Oh yes," she said. "Inuyasha—pick him up."

He glared at her. "What am I, a pack mule? That's all I'm good for, huh? Carrying stuff?"

"Oh get out of your funk," she snapped. "Unless you _want_ this man to be murdered and Naraku take complete power of the nation."

"Fine." He hefted the man onto his back. "_You'll_ have to walk," he directed towards Kagome.

"Fine," she echoed, lifting her chin.

They set off, slowly making way through the forest.

"Ano…" Kagome said after a while. "Where exactly are we going?"

"Somewhere safe," replied Inuyasha tersely.

"And where exactly would that be?"

"A crowded village where no one can find us."

"Do you think there's one nearby?"

"Oh who knows. Stop complaining—you had your nap today. And we're traveling at night, so we're not visible."

"I'm not complaining!" she protested. "I just want to know what's going to happen!"

"Bothersome nag," he muttered.

Kagome drew back a bit. _So that's what he thinks of me, huh?_ She withdrew into a moody silence.

"Umm…" Yoshida coughed.

"What is it?" Inuyasha snapped.

"This may not be the best time…but have either of you seen my signet ring?"

-

-

-

"What do you mean the jyaki's _changed_?" Sango asked incredulously.

"It's different. More powerful—stronger."

"But there was no one in there!"

"There apparently is now," he said grimly. "Let's go."

She nodded and they simultaneously burst into the tent. Only…nothing appeared to have changed.

Perplexed, Sango turned in a circle. "What's going on here?"

Miroku didn't answer.

"This place gives me the creeps," she whispered.

"Sango," he said in a low voice, "look at the bodies."

"Eh?" She stared hard at the cadavers. "What are you getting at, houshi-sama?"

His facial expression didn't change. "Look at their wounds."

"What wounds?" She was getting rather exasperated now.

"Exactly. I was almost certain that man over there had a cut on his arm…now he doesn't."

She shot him a look. "What—"

"And that man over there: look at his leg."

"Bloody," she noted. "Stab wound, looks like."

"Mmm. Just watch it."

"Watch it," she repeated dubiously.

"Just humor me."

She complied and stared hard at the man's leg. They stood like that for a good amount of time before Sango said, "Is it supposed to do tricks?"

Miroku didn't laugh. "Do the wounds look smaller to you?"

"Smaller…?"

"Turn away."

She gave up trying to question him, and obeyed his order. A few minutes later, he commanded, "Now look at it again."

Again, she obeyed and look at the wounds. Sango frowned. "They do kind of look smaller…but that's probably because you said something."

"Oh yeah? Wait another five minutes."

Sango grew more uneasy as the minutes passed. When the wounds on the man's leg disappeared a few minutes later, she exhaled heavily, her face confused. "But…they're not youkai. I can't sense any demonic powers within them."

"No…me neither. Which means that something foul's afoot."

-

-

-

Inuyasha gave Yoshida a Look. "Listen, old man, I know all this expensive stuff is important to you and all, but we're in the middle of a crisis here—"

"Inu_ya_sha!" Kagome shrieked. "Don't be so rude!"

"Stuff it, wench, I know what I'm talking about."

"But—"

"It's not that hard of a question," Yoshida said patiently. "Do you have the ring or not?"

Inuyasha groaned and stuck his hand under the man's nose. "Does this answer your question?"

"Ah." The Prime Minister carefully slid the ring off of the hanyou's finger and onto his own. "It's safe, then."

"It's just a ring…" Inuyasha muttered.

"Inu—"

"The name! What did I say about the name!"

"Young man, you should learn to treat women with a bit more respect."

"Thank you," Kagome huffed.

"And I certainly wouldn't have expected you to be so blind. Doesn't the Channel usually pick exceptionally perceptive warriors?"

While Inuyasha was spluttering, Kagome asked, "What do you mean by 'blind', Yoshida-sama?"

He sighed and regarded his ring carefully. "_This_ is why Naraku's out to kill me."

-

-

-

"Sango?"

The taijiya-turned-nurse had walked over to one of the wounded and was now kneeling beside him…sniffing?

"Um…what are you doing?"

"Demon's blood," she said softly. "I smell demon's blood."

Miroku instantly kneeled down beside her. "Injected, do you think?"

"Yeah…look at this: a whole regiment of men practically revived from the dead."

"Something tells me this isn't the first occurrence," he said quietly.

"I'm inclined to agree." She sat back on her heals. "So…this could explain why Japan is even still a part of this war. The Russian army outnumbers us multiple times over."

"Because we're losing half as many men."

They shared a look. "It's… not pleasant to realize we're fighting dirty," Sango murmured.

"And yet," said Miroku, "if we lose, it's certain that Yoshida will lose power, which will give Naraku a free path to claim authority."

Sango shook her head and looked over the bodies lying on the mats. "We're screwed."

"Yes." He blew out a breath and stood. "I think we should go now."

"Reviving people from the dead," she said to herself. "Poor men."

Miroku realized that she was thinking back to her own near brush with death. "What does it feel like?" he asked. "To… wake up like that?"

She was quiet for a moment. "You're disoriented at first. Your next thought is family and friends—are you really back from the dead? How much time has passed? And…who are you, really? Are you still yourself? It's a scary feeling." She blew out a breath. "And I'd imagine it'd be even scarier if these men are being brought back to life over and over."

"Who's done this?" Miroku wondered aloud.

"That's what I'd like to know," a new voice joined in.

Both their heads swiveled toward the flap of the tent that opened to the outside. Sango scrambled to her feet the minute she realized who it was.

Miroku immediately stepped in front of her. "Doctor Kitosumo," he said guardedly. "Aide Tonner. What brings you here?"

-

-

-

"That?" Inuyasha snorted in disbelief. "You're saying that Naraku's out to kill you because of that little ring and not because of your political standing?"

"Oh no, of course not," Yoshida said. "Of course he wants to be ruler of all Japan and leave me in the gutter so he can achieve that, but his first priority is this little ring right here."

"And pray tell—"

"Ignore him, please," Kagome said. "Yoshida-sama, why do you think Naraku wants that ring so much?"

Yoshida gave her a patient look. "My dear, does the name _Shikon__ no Tama_ mean anything to you?"

Inuyasha nearly tripped. "The _what_?"

"Ah, so you have heard of it. Good, boy. You've redeemed yourself a bit."

Inuyasha was still shell-shocked. "Are you trying to tell me that the Shikon no Tama is in that ring of yours?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying," the man sighed, twisting the ring a bit. "This signet ring has been in my family for over eight generations—and each ruling member of the family has been murdered for it."

Kagome started violently. Inuyasha gave the man an incredulous look. "Wouldn't that be reason enough to chuck it?"

"Oh no," Yoshida said, "this gem in the ring has been passed down through the ages—it is our blessing and our curse. It is the destiny of the Yoshida family to protect this ring."

"That's stupid—it if were me, I would get rid of it the minute I found it," declared Inuyasha. "From what I've heard, it's nothing but bad luck."

"Don't try and fool yourself, my boy," Yoshida said, "you'd do exactly what everyone else wishes to do with it." He laughed at his own pun. "Wishes…get it?"

Kagome was more than confused. "No."

"You don't know the legend of the Shikon no Tama?" Yoshida said, seemingly delighted to find a person who didn't know the story. "By all means, let me enlighten you!"

-

-

-

After five minutes had passed by and Yoshida had barely stopped to take a breath, Kagome was sorry she'd asked. She yawned again and turned to look at Inuyasha, surprised he hadn't said anything yet. They'd been walking for quite a while now, and they still hadn't managed to find their way out of the forest. They had to stop sometime, she thought reasonably. Yoshida was considerably heavier than Kagome: surely Inuyasha was uncomfortable carrying the man.

She opened her mouth to voice her concerns, but closed it when she caught the look on Inuyasha's face.

Pensive. Worried. Grim. Determined.

What was going through his head?

"Is something wrong?" she whispered, taking the chance that Yoshida wouldn't hear her over the sound of his own droning.

She was lucky; he didn't.

But Inuyasha, being hanyou, did. His ears twitched and he shrugged slightly. "Whatever," she heard him mutter.

A bit put out that he wouldn't confide in her, Kagome went back to listening to Yoshida.

"So…this little pink ball will allow give demons superhuman…er…super_demon_ strength, or allow one heart's desires?"

"In a nutshell, yes," said Yoshida.

"You make it sound like some kind of fairy-tale object," Inuyasha said angrily, speaking for the first time in a while. "It's not some 'fix-all' type of magic that will let you live happily ever after. You know how many people have died because of that gem?"

"Quite a few, from the sounds of Yoshida-sama's story," Kagome said matter-of-factly. She winced at the look Inuyasha sent her for that comment. _What's he so upset about?_

"Guess anything over ten is a statistic," he muttered.

"Huh?"

"Body count. No one cares after five people die—with no connection to faceless names, what do people care? It's just another pointless fact in a history book, only useful for boring school children with." He turned blazing golden eyes on her, glaring accusingly. "Will anyone remember us when we die, Kagome? If we gave our lives for this man right here, would anyone give a damn?"

"Inuyasha—" She was almost frightened at the look on his face; she'd never seen him so upset. _You said my name…_

"Naraku sure doesn't," he continued, looking away into the trees. "He will stop at nothing to gain that jewel—I realize that now. We're just a couple of trees blocking the path—if we're cut down, no one will hear us scream."

"Wait—you know about this? That Naraku wants this little stone?"

"Yes."

"So why are we still traipsing around the country? What exactly are we doing?"

"I thought…" He expelled a breath. _I thought that I could defeat him by treating him like a common criminal…but now I understand that I've completely underestimated him. Hell, he probably knows Kagome isn't Kikyo—because of my blind stupidity, he's probably searching for her now!_

He cast a glance towards her, picturing a death warrant stamped on her forehead. He didn't want to investigate why this upset him.

_I'd thought that all he wanted was to boot Yoshida out of power…and I thought that by tripping him up with Kagome, I could buy myself more time._

Yoshida was just a pawn in the scheme of things. Naraku's real desire was the jewel—with it, he could have all the power he wanted. Yoshida just happened to be his link to the jewel.

An idea dawned on Inuyasha so suddenly that he stopped short. Kagome followed suit; he could see question in her eyes, but she didn't ask.

Naraku didn't give a rat's ass about politics. The radical youkai group was only a front; if Naraku's real intention was to obtain the jewel, he obviously didn't care about politics. If he didn't care about politics, then a radical political group didn't fit with his plans.

It was nothing less than a terrorist group that had every intention of obliterating everything in its path to achieve total and complete power.

They were in deeper shit than he'd originally thought they were.

-

-

-

"Inuyasha," Kagome said softly, laying a hand on his arm, "what's the matter?"

He jumped and scowled. "Nothing."

"Don't tell me 'nothing'—your face looked like a thundercloud."

"Don't worry about it," he said in a clipped voice.

"Fine then," she said, an edge to her voice. He didn't want to share his problems? Fine—he could stuff them all inside him and explode for all she cared.

Only problem was…she _did_ care. Which is what confused her. She felt protective towards this enigmatic man who was half-human, half-demon.

…Okay, she was attracted to him.

But who wouldn't be? With his white hair, muscular body, and heartbreaking (albeit rare) smile, he was a dream to stare at. And yet, she really knew nothing about him… except that he was somehow involved in espionage and that he was very committed to whatever cause he was rooting for.

Actually, she knew _nothing_ about him. What was she doing traipsing across the country with this man? He could be a serial killer; why should she trust anything he said? What if he wasn't who he said he was? She only had his say-so that he wasn't part of the Black Mask.

She felt gentle hands take her by the arms and spin her around. She drew in a sharp intake of breath as Inuyasha's golden eyes scanned over her body. She felt herself go numb and a tremor of fear washed over her. "Inu—"

"Name," he hissed.

"Like _he_ hasn't heard it enough times already," she said wearily, shooing a look at the Prime Minister, who Inuyasha had deposited on the ground. "What are you doing?"

He was running his hands over any exposed skin, as if searching for something. When he pushed her hair off her shoulders, she could feel his breath on her neck, and she shivered.

"Hah," he murmured in satisfaction, brushing his fingers against the base of her neck. "Thought so."

"Huh?" she said breathlessly.

"Two puncture wounds—typical way to insert poison in a body." He released a breath. "That explains why you were sick."

"Eh? Poison? What are you talking about?" She spun around to face him, propping her hands on her hips.

"You've been targeted," he said matter-of-factly, watching for her reaction.

"By…whom?"

"Who do you think, wench? Naraku, of course."

"I don't see any 'of course' about it—is Naraku responsible for all the evil in the world?" _Poisoned? Me?_ "And why aren't I dead?"

His eyes widened comically, and Kagome realized how ridiculous her sentence had sounded. "I mean, if I was poisoned, theoretically, wouldn't I be dead?"

He shrugged. "Low dosage; they probably didn't mean to kill you, just incapacitate you."

"And why the hell would they want to do that?"

-

-

-

_To slow us down so they could capture us. You. Probably kill me and Yoshida—but kidnap you._ He didn't know. His head was aching from the lack of sleep and adrenaline rush. His heart rate had definitely bumped when he realized she was missing. And then the sinking feeling he'd gotten when finding the puncture wounds…

_You don't know anything—she could have been bitten by a snake. No; she would have been dead by now. Those marks were definitely made by a double-notched syringe. How many times have I seen a dead body with those distinctive marks? _

_ What does it all mean? Why Kagome? She's a miko, but her powers are nothing extraordinary. Why didn't they just kill her right off the bat?_

Another thought came to mind, and he frowned. _Why didn't they kill me? Obviously someone had the opportunity to finish both of us off. _

"So…where is this person?"

"Say what?" He jerked himself out of his thoughts.

"Where is this person? I was sick before we went to sleep; that means someone poisoned me sometime after you fought with that Wind lady. Do you think it was her?"

_Possibly.__ Poison darts, maybe?_

The lack of sleep was getting to him. He couldn't think. All he knew was they had to get out of this goddamned forest. He shuffled over to Yoshida and hoisted the man back onto his back. "Let's go, Old Timer. C'mon, Kagome—I promise we'll rest at the nearest town we find."

Too tired to do anything but nod, Kagome dutifully trailed after him. How had she gotten into this mess?

-

-

-

Doctor Kitosumo frowned at Miroku and Sango. "What are you two doing here?"

"We could ask the same of you," Sango replied, her fingers tightening around the dagger hidden in the folds of her skirt.

"This is the old site for our field hospital. We moved out last night, after hearing a rumor of Russian proximity. I decided to return in case any stragglers had wandered behind…" His gaze slowly traveled across the bodies laid neatly on the ground. "Did you do this?"

Miroku shook his head in the negative. This man was working for Naraku; did he have anything to do with reviving dead bodies to be reused as soldiers? "We were looking for your hospital workers and stumbled upon this. What do you think it is?" he asked, hoping to draw the answer out of the man.

Kitosumo shrugged. "Odd death ritual would be my guess. Tendency of the locals—maybe it's a tradition to lay the dead in a position such as this."

"Superstition, perhaps," Aide Tonner suggested.

"How do you explain the jyaki, then?" Sango asked tensely.

Miroku stiffened. Sango didn't know about Kitosumo or Aide Tonner. Did she even realize they were brothers?

_Of course not, you fool—she's not involved in the Channel. How could she know?_

He hadn't told her anything about Kitosumo because he'd wanted to protect her. No, that wasn't true—he hadn't trusted her. Now… was that decision about to stab him in the back?

"Jyaki?" Kitosumo lifted a brow. "And what, my dear nurse, would you know about jyaki?"

Aide Tonner—who Miroku knew as Manten—snickered definitively. "Women're all the same, Kitosumo-san," he said. "Suspicious, superstitious, and simple-minded. She prob'ly can't tell jyaki from rotting oranges."

Miroku noticed Sango's jaw tighten. _Stay calm, Sango, please…_ He laid a hand on her shoulder, hoping that it would look like a casual gesture.

"Ignorant…_ass_…" he heard her mutter.

Kitosumo watched them thoughtfully. Did he suspect anything? _What if…_ Miroku's hand tightened on Sango's shoulder. _What if he recognizes Sango?_ She had been involved with the Black Mask…although it sounded like she dealt with the group indirectly, there was still a chance of her identity being discovered…

It was amazing she'd been able to protect herself for so long. One didn't mess with the Black Mask and simply walk away. Which again brought up those doubts that she might not be completely truthful…

But at the moment, what other choice did he have but to trust her?

Kitosumo opened his mouth to speak—

_Diversionary tactic! Quick, anything to keep his suspicions at bay…_

"So, Kitosumo-sama, have you heard? Sango-san has agreed to marry me."

Off in the distance, a lone cricket could be heard.

Sango slowly turned to look at Miroku, her glare blasting at full force. He winced, getting the feeling he'd pay for that later…

-

-

-

"Inuyasha…? This doesn't look like an inn to me."

"Who said anything about an inn?" Inuyasha carefully laid Yoshida on the back doorstep of the tavern. Raucous laughter and shouts drifted out the open window and the stench of booze was overwhelming.

"Inuyasha," Kagome said warningly, "we are in a dark alley behind a tavern where anyone and everyone can see us. You call this a 'safe place' to 'get some rest'? Or am I missing an important piece of this puzzle?"

"Use you head, idiot," he said, flinging a scrap of cloth he found in a pile of trash over Yoshida. "Who'd think to look for the Prime Minister in a back alley? The first place they'd look would be an inn." He leaned against the wall and folded his legs Indian-style.

"But isn't this a typical place for members of the…Channel—" she whispered the word, certain that no one inside could possibly hear her—"to hide out?"

"I don't know," he said with a smile. "How many Channel members do you know?" He leaned his head back against the wall. "Get comfortable, wench, we're rising with the sun."

Gritting her teeth, she stomped over to where Inuyasha was and all but collapsed next to him. Sighing, she laid her head on his shoulder and tried to find a relatively comfortable position.

"Oi, do I look like a pillow to you? Since when does 'get comfortable' translate to 'snuggle up with me'?"

"Personally, I do not find the hard ground even remotely comfortable. You're the closet thing to a pillow around this place. And warm too—my lord, you're like a radiator."

"Eh…"

She looked up at his face and then straightened. "Are you _blushing_?"

"No!"

She began to giggle. "Everyone gives off body heat, you know—it's a physiological fact. Nothing to be embarrassed about."

"Keh!" He resolutely closed his eyes.

Still smiling, she rested her head on his shoulder again. "'Night, Inuyasha," she murmured.

He just sighed.

-

-

-

"Hey. Hey, you—lady sleepin' on the floor."

She raised her head slightly, the moonlight shining through the bars of the prison cell. "What."

"The boss wants ya."

"At this time of night?"

"Whenever the boss calls, ya come." The guard shrugged. "'s that simple."

_To you, maybe… poor pathetic creatures.__ Your only reason for existence is to do the will of "The Boss." Quite witty, aren't you, Naraku? Torture the youkai with low intelligence levels until they promise to remain loyal to you under the threat of a painful death…_

"Fine." She stood and waited for the guard to painstakingly unlock the cell door. "Those keys can be handful, ne?"

"Tricky little bastards," he muttered in agreement.

She followed him down the hall, duly noting the change in decoration once she passed through the door that served as the junction between the prison cells and Naraku's mansion. The man was obscenely rich, but was he happy with his wealth? Oh no, he wanted to rule Japan _and_ obtain the Shikon no Tama as well.

_Greed will destroy you someday, Naraku_, she thought. _You've been lucky so far…you've gotten away with hell…but good fortune can't last forever._

The light from the lamps flickered on the gilded walls. Their footsteps echoed loudly on the tiled floor. The guard knocked on the door and waited for the customary "enter" before fumbling with the lock on this door as well.

She watched in amusement. Only Naraku was cocky enough to have his lackeys lock him _inside_ the room.

The guard opened the door and made a point of not bowing as she entered. She got the message: she was a prisoner. And a women. _A double negative_, she thought. _Does that make me positive? One notch higher up?_

Yes, she'd definitely been in this nut house too long.

"Ah," Naraku said. "Daughter. How good to see you."

Revulsion twisted inside her stomach. _You pathetic little man…one day I will break free of your clutches and remedy the wrong I have done—and the many, many wrongs YOU have done…_

"Hai, Father, what did you need?"

Yes, someday…

-

-

-

_Author's Notes:_ Yes, I realize this chapter was extremely overdue. Gomen nasai! It just didn't want to be written. Hope you enjoyed it… please tell me what you think I'm doing all right, what you think I could fix, what you liked, what you didn't… you get the picture. Later, all.


	8. Unraveling

**Charade**

-

**Chapter Eight: UNRAVELING**

-

-

Sango's eyes were practically burning him alive. Miroku tried his best to ignore her gaze.

Kitosumo was staring at him incredulously. "Married?" he said. "What the hell for?"

"But…ain't you a monk?" Aide Tonner squinted at him. "I thought you guys were s'posed to be…er… whatcha call it… _celibate_?"

"Only celibate monks," said Miroku seriously.

Kitosumo snorted. Sango's death glare didn't waver.

"She sure doesn't seem ta like you," Aide Tonner said.

"Oh that…? She's just mad because I'm not paying enough attention to her." Miroku smiled brightly and wrapped an arm around Sango's waist. "She's possessive like that."

"Ah." Tonner nodded knowingly.

"You…are…so…dead," Sango whispered into his ear.

"Yes, darling, I know."

Better a dead Miroku than a dead Sango.

-

-

Kagome's eyes opened slowly. The alleyway was less dim than it had been last night… She opened her eyes fully now. It was morning? Judging from her cold body temperature and lack of pillow, she realized that Inuyasha was gone.

Too sleepy to overreact, she yawned and stretched, hoping he'd come back with some breakfast. "It's not like he's required to recite to me where it is he's going and who he's going to meet," she said to herself amusedly.

"True enough!" Yoshida chirped.

Kagome jumped. "Yoshida-san, you're awake? I didn't realize—"

He waved a hand. "No worries, young lady, I know what it's like to be in love and missing that 'special someone' if they're gone for even a minute."

"In love?" She colored a bit. "I'm sorry, sir, but we're not—"

"You young'uns forget that we old folk were once as young and in love as you were. You think that we don't remember what it's like, that the passion of love must surely fade with vitality and hair color. But it doesn't."

"No sir, of course not, but—"

"Of course, if one used the Shikon no Tama, that little problem could be resolved. Wouldn't that be a feat? An old man in the body of a youngster? Hm, I must remember that. Interesting experiment—sure would teach today's youth a lesson."

"I beg your pardon?"

"I said, it sure would teach—"

"No, no, about the problem being resolved!" She rose from her warm corner and scurried over to crouch beside the Prime Minister, who was cackling to himself. "Are you saying that the Shikon no Tama gives eternal life?"

"It gives whatever the devil you want it to!" he chuckled. "I think the funniest thing would be if a little child found it and wished on it. Oh, how the brilliantly evil would scream at the thought of the jewel granting the wish of candy, or a new toy, or love. It makes me quiver with amusement."

"Quite. But, sir, doesn't that make the jewel that much more dangerous?"

"Naturally."

Kagome sat back on her heels and thought. Well. That was one wish she hadn't thought of. That would certainly be incentive for Naraku to get the jewel. Is this why Inuyasha was so worried? Or was there another, more serious reason?

It looked as if she'd gotten into more trouble than she'd bargained for.

-

-

"Well. I suppose my congratulations are in order, then," Dr. Kitosumo said, bowing.

Miroku bowed back and surreptitiously stepped on Sango's foot. She gave the slightest of bows, glowering at Miroku the whole time.

When he straightened, Kitosumo turned to address Sango. "I presume you'll be joining us again, Miss Sango?"

"Eh?" She unconsciously moved closer to Miroku. "Joining you?"

"As a nurse. We are in desperate need, and you were—are—one of our best. Your married status doesn't change a thing."

"My married—? Oh! Oh. Right. Thank you, I'm glad to hear that. I… I haven't completely decided whether I'm going to return to nursing… or not…" She exchanged and glance with Miroku and then hurriedly said, "My husband and I haven't finished discussing the topic yet."

A smile from Miroku told her she'd said the right thing.

"I understand completely, Miss Sango, but in light of our present circumstances, I must beg that you and your husband make a decision here and now," Kitosumo said, "for we have many, many wounded and need you to care for them."

Sango glanced around the room. "They look…_fine_ to me," she hissed.

His facial expression didn't change. "This isn't our tent, Miss Sango. Ours is farther down the way—we were merely inspecting this one."

"Ah, of course. Well, my husband, what do you say? Do you think it's safe for me to return to nursing?"

"Only if I am allowed to remain by your side," he said gravely, slipping an arm about her waist.

"Done." Kitosumo bowed. "I'll show you the way."

-

-

"You still have the ring, right?" Kagome asked, searching Yoshida's hands.

"As if I could ever lose it." He waved it in her face.

"I'm more afraid of it being _stolen_ than you losing it."

"Thank you, young lady, but I am extremely careful. I've had years of practice, you know."

"Perhaps you should let me hold on to it? No one would suspect me…"

He gave her a look. "Are you just trying to get your hands on it?"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Who wouldn't? But I assure you, I have no petty ambitions of my own."

"Petty? You could wish for the end of the war. You could wish for world peace. You could wish to make that handsome hanyou your lover. You cou—"

"All right, I get the idea!" Kagome interrupted forcefully, unable to stop the blush that spread across her cheeks. "I'm not planning on using that thing for my own devices, I assure you. I was just offering to keep it safe."

Yoshida gave her a calculating look. She swallowed but kept her features schooled. How exactly was an innocent person supposed to look? What if she only _looked_ guilty? She really did mean best… but then, maybe her offer _had_ been a little insulting. She'd basically insinuated that she was better suited to protect the jewel than he, who had already been protecting it for years and years.

"I believe you, young lady," he finally said, patting her hand. "And you're a sweet girl for wanting to help. But let me just tell you right now—throw all your sweetness and helpfulness aside and become a selfish, gold-digging bitch."

"Wha—?"

"Because if you don't, some rascal is gonna come along and take advantage of you. You'll be duped into doing his dirty work while thinking you're helping your country."

Kagome was a little bit offended. She'd like to think she was more intelligent than _that_. "I—"

"You listen to me, Miss. Any number of years ago—perhaps a number of months ago—your whole life was centered around finding a husband, am I right?"

"No," said Kagome petulantly. "I was training to be a nurse."

"Without any plans to ever marry?"

"Well—I wanted to eventually, I guess. But at the time—"

"At the time, any man would jump at the idea of marrying a girl like you. And you would be safe to assume that if they were polite, kind young men who seemed to geninuely like you, they would make good husbands. You listen to me, girl: if you find a nice young man who you fancy yourself in love with right now… I'm warning you. Things aren't always what they seem."

_Is he… is he talking about Inuyasha? Surely not!_ "I'm not sure I follow you."

"Let me put it bluntly: if he's in love with you, he's using you."

She laughed. "Sir, that seems a little harsh. Are you insinuating that _everyone_ has their own agenda? That there are no good people yet?"

"This is war. This country is divided between pacifists and those who support the war; and those who support the me, and those who would rather put an emperor back in power. My daughter worked underground, and her partner, whom she was engaged to, turned out to be a Russian spy."

"Oh—!" Kagome's hand flew to her mouth. "How horrible."

"That's not he worst of it."

She waited.

"While she thought she'd been working for the Japanese underground—she was really aiding the Russians in her work."

Kagome gaped at him. "But—is that possible? I mean, how could she not notice—?"

"She was just a courier. She was never present at any meetings, just took a few sporadic assignments so she could… aid… her country." His mouth tightened.

Kagome's heart was beating much too fast, she was sure. _Inuyasha… my first impression was that he was in the Black Mask. How do I know he isn't? All I saw was a group of radical demons. They could be working for Naraku—hell, they could even be working for the Russians!_ "Are… are you talking about Inu— er, Hanyou?"

He sighed. "No, I wasn't. Particularly."

"But you think he might be untrustworthy?"

"I didn't say that. I think you can rely on him. He's definitely not working for Naraku, if that's what you're worried about. Didn't you tell me that you'd been attacked? And what about that snake bite on your neck?"

"Perhaps we're being tracked by the good guys. Maybe he's really the bad guy around here."

"I don't know…" He rubbed his face wearily. "I can't tell you anything for certain, but I _think_ you can trust him. But please, try and suppress those feelings of yours. Even if he is on the right side, falling in love in the middle of a war is never a good idea."

"Eh—?" Dammit, she was blushing _again!_ "Don't worry; I have no feelings for him whatsoever."

"Ah." He sounded amused. "Glad to hear it."

She looked down. Okay, so she'd stretched the truth a bit. She in no way considered herself in love with him; but who _wouldn't_ be attracted to Inuyasha? He was patriotic, protective, handsome…

She frowned. _Patriotic, yes.__ But to which side?_ What if her initial impression of him was correct?

"What's that face for?" said the man of her thoughts, popping into the alleyway like an apparition.

"I-Inuyasha!" she stammered, falling backwards. "Where did you come from!"

"Hell. Had a jolly visit there," he said sarcastically, sauntering over to Yoshida. "Still alive, old man?"

"Inuy—" Kagome blustered.

"_Name_," he hissed. "You don't know who could be listening!"

"Whatever—you need to learn some manners."

"And how exactly are manners gonna help me in this war?" He gave her a Look before turning back to the Prime Minister. "Well?"

"I'm fine. What now? I'm guessing I won't be allowed to put so much as a toe back on my estate."

"Nope. Too dangerous. We'll be protecting you from now on."

"Who's 'we'?"

"The Channel." From his tone of voice, he might as well have said "_Duh_."

"How do I know you're _really_ from the channel?" Yoshida demanded, rather wearily.

"A little late to be thinking about loyalties, isn't it? And you've been traveling with me since last night. If I really wanted to kill you, don't you think I would've done so by now?"

"I won't claim to understand the twisted workings of criminals minds."

Kagome saw Inuyasha's eyes flash dangerous, but he said nothing as he rose to his feet. "Look, old man, if you want protection, here it is. If you want us to leave you here so you can try and hike your way back to your palace… your funeral."

Yoshida studied him for a moment. "I don't really have much of a choice, do I?"

"Nope," said Inuyasha unsympathetically. "Let's go. We have many, many miles left before there's a relatively safe area."

Kagome was silent, watching Inuyasha. By first impressions alone, she would have pegged him as more of a terrorist guy. Black Mask material. She knew that appearances were deceiving, but there was something to be said for intuition.

Just… what the hell was her intuition trying to tell her?

"Oi."

"Eh?" She snapped out of her daze.

His golden eyes were appraising, as if he knew what she was thinking. "You coming along too, wench?"

She couldn't tear her eyes away from his. _Please, just tell me everything's all right. I don't want any more deception, I don't' want to have to try and discern people's character—I just want everything to be… to be…_ "Yeah. I'm coming."

"Good." He turned and yanked Yoshida to his feet. "Let's get a move on. And Kagome?" He turned to face her.

Her heart skipped a beat. "Y-yes?"

_He said my name again!_

"Try not to dawdle so much. We really can't waste time on your laziness."

Her lips parted, but nothing came out.

He turned again and strolled out of the alleyway into plain sight. The main thoroughway of the town was unusually crowded for this early in the morning—but sunny days were rare, and people would nauturally take advantage of the fine weather.

A lucky break for them. A lone man and a young woman and her grandfather were less conspicuous in a crowd.

Yoshida offered his arm to Kagome, giving them the pretense of a grandfather/granddaughter relationship. She sucked in a breath and took his arm.

_That jerk_she thought, glaring at Inuyasha's back._ Who does he think he is, pompously strutting around, giving orders like that?_

She and Yoshida emerged from the alleyway. There was no one in sight. No one. Looks like this town didn't rise with the sun.

Inuyasha walked ahead of them, conscientiously not looking backwards. But Kagome could see his ears twitching every so often. _Probably to pick up our footsteps, make sure we're still with him._

"Ah, love," Yoshida murmured.

_Love?__ Between him and his ego, maybe. _

She glowered at his back. At least she knew now that the Prime Minister of her country was senile; warning her against men with questionable loyalties and then sighing over young love.

"Die, you insensitive fool," she muttered at Inuyasha's back.

Her gaze dropped to the ground, so she didn't see the slight hesitation in Inuyasha's step, nor the half-turn he made to look at her. And she completely missed the confused, vulnerable look on his face.

-

-

"Miroku."

"Hmm?" His hand rested on the small of her back, the same position it had been in since they'd begun to follow Dr. Kitosumo and his aide down the road. That had been more than half an hour ago.

"Do you think we're being duped?" she whispered, tilting her head so that she was speaking directly in his ear. "This is an awful long time to be walking to an impromptu field hospital 'just down the way.'"

"Perhaps they're taking the backroads," he whispered back. "The last we knew, the Russians army was only ten or so miles behind us. They could even have overtaken that tent with jyaki by now."

"Yes, about that," she said, frowning. "I'm not so sure we should have left it. We should've stayed to see if anyone else showed up—who actually knew about the revival of the men."

"What, you don't think Kitosumo and his bro— aide had anything to do with it?"

Sango's gaze sharpened. "What were you going to say?"

"I thought you'd at least suspect them," he rambled on, hoping she wouldn't notice his slip-up. "It was rather fishy that they were there at the _exact_ moment the jyaki changed—"

"Were you going to say his _brother_?"

"Whose brother?" he tried to feign innocence.

"Don't act like I'm _stupid_, Miroku," snapped Sango. "Are Kitosumo and that dumb ass related?"

He winced at the sharpness of her tone. Yep, she was angry. And he was going to bear the brunt of her anger, since there weren't any demons to beat up. "Yes. They're brothers." He didn't mention that they were both minions of Naraku.

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me," she said. "Both ignorant fools who believe women are feeble creatures that'll break if you so much as poke them—"

_Which is exactly what we want them to think.__ So they don't try and harm you. So you can spy unnoticed._

He rubbed her back, trying to get her to calm down. "Let's not give them any reason to think otherwise," he said. "Or you could be in very real danger."

"Like this is anything new?" She was glaring at the doctor and aide's backs.

"We could use you, Sango—you're privy to a whole mess of information that could help us win this battle."

"We? Who's we? And what do you mean, battle? Is there one predicated to occur soon?"

_She's too quick. Too smart. _"All in good time, my dear Sango," he said lightly, tugging her closer to his side.

"Don't try and pull that lovey-dovey distraction stuff on me," she said, elbowing his side. "We're _married_ now, remember? Can't be keeping secrets from your _wife_, now, can you?"

He gulped. She could be scary when she wanted to… "Later, sweetheart, later. I promise. When we're alone," he amended.

She narrowed her eyes. "See that you remember this promise."

"I never forget. Anything."

-

-

It was well past noon before the Almighty Inuyasha deemed it acceptable to rest. They'd been traveling on a deserted country road, lined by trees on one side, and rolling hills on the other, heading for who-knows-where. It was picturesque setting that any other time Kagome would have enjoyed just the ambiance of walking… but then she would remember that she was traveling with a man of questionable integrity who could possibly turn on her in the blink of an eye and the Prime Minister whom both the Russians and factions of Japanese political groups wanted to kill.

Needless to say, this put a considerable damper on her mood.

They hadn't encountered a single soul while on their trek so far, which most likely contributed to Inuyasha's generous mood. When he turned and called back to Kagome and Yoshida that they would take a quick break, Kagome practically jumped off the road and collapsed onto the grass, resting her weary legs.

"Ahh…" she sighed. Inuyasha was still standing, glowering down at her. She smiled up at him sweetly. "Won't you come sit down, Inuyasha?"

"Keh. I don't need rest like you weak humans."

"What youkai crawled up your butt?" she muttered.

"Very ladylike, Kagome," he said mockingly.

Her eyes widened. "Oh… that's right, you have supersonic hearing. I forgot." _Never mind the fact that he only uses my name to mock me now…_

"Keh. Next you'll be wanting food. And sleep."

Her stomach growled at the thought. _Damn him._

He smirked at her expense.

Muttering derogatory terms in his direction, Kagome huffily curled up into a ball and tried to make herself comfortable. A few feet away, Yoshida was already snoring.

"You're not planning on sleeping, are you, wench?" the hanyou of thoughts snorted.

_"Yes,"_ she bit out, beyond annoyed.

"Testy, are we?"

She didn't answer him. Perhaps if she pretended to be asleep…?

"You can go ahead and pretend to be asleep. I'm just gonna keep a lookout anyway."

Kagome clenched her hands into fists. Why did he have to be so childish sometimes? Was he trying to guilt her out of sleeping so she could keep him company or something? He was probably just mad that they weren't making better time—he'd made it quite clear that women and old men were nothing but burdens. But did he really have a choice?

_A choice…_ She squeezed her eyes shut, begging sleep to come.

Why _was_ he dragging her around? It's not like she was helping him in anyway. Right now they were probably just trying to get the Prime Minister to safety… but what was preventing him from just dumping her by the side of the road? What use was she to him? He was hanyou, and it wasn't like her miko powers were anything special.

_What if he's stringing both Yoshida and I along, right into a trap? What if he really isn't trying to help us at all?_

But was there another option? A young, unaccompanied female—albeit a miko—traveling along was like hanging a "HEY! FREE GOODS!" sign on her forehead.

She suddenly felt so alone and so lost that tears poked at the corners of her eyes. She just wanted to be safe, in a nice warm bed with food and people she could trust…

But she knew that world was far, far away.

-

-

The only sound that broke the dead silence of the night was the footfalls of the four travelers. Sango had taken to leaning slightly on Miroku as the night wore on and they still hadn't reached the hospital tent. Kitosumo and his brother had stayed approximately five feet ahead of them the entire journey, talking in hushed tones about lord-knows-what. Sango's curiosity got the better of her at one point and she quickly took a few steps forward, straining to hear their conversation—and got a whiff of—_"And in the middle of the operation the woman asked me if it was possible to stimulate an orgasm with a special type of herb and promptly fell back to sleep—"_

Cheeks burning, Sango fell back into step with Miroku, who smirked at her. "Eavesdropping on doctors' conversations can be cause permanent brain damage. I thought you'd know that by now, Sango-chan."

"Don't call me that," she muttered. "And it's later. Are you going to tell me now?"

"Tell you what?" he asked innocently.

"Don't give me that, Miroku…"

"It's later, but it's not safer."

"Come on, they're not paying any attention. And you know it. And I know for certain they're not youkai, so there's no possible way they can hear us—especially since the wind is blowing right in _our_ faces."

Damn, she was good.

"Yes, Aide Tonner is Kitosumo's brother."

"And…?"

He wearily rubbed his face. "And those aren't their real names. We believe them to be called Hiten and Manten… but that's not certain. And you are not allowed to go mentioning those names anywhere else."

She shot him a look that clearly said he was going to pay for that ignorant statement later.

"They're terrorists," he said bluntly.

Sango's eyes widened comically and she made an effort _not_ to stare at the "medics" backs. "For which side? The Black Mask? Or misguided Channel terrorists?"

_Don't go there._ "Not sure," he lied. "Their loyalties are questionable."

"But either option is ridiculous. The General Sesshomaru Taisho has held… private meetings with Doctor Kitosumo on more than one occasion, and I very much doubt that they had anything to do with the condition of Kitosumo's hospital. If Taisho is consorting with him, he can't possibly be Black Mask. But he is so radical that even imaging him as a supporter of Yoshida makes me laugh."

Miroku was taken by surprise at the astuteness of Sango's evaluations. Not to mention the fact that she'd noticed the meetings between Kitosumo and Taisho. "You sure you aren't doing undercover work?"

"Of course not!" she swiftly shot back, glaring at him a little. "I told you I'm through with that. I just have a sharp eye."

"I see. You'd be invaluable to any political organization, though."

"Thank you, I think I'll stick to nursing."

"Not demon exterminating?"

"I am also through with that. It was part of my past life and I don't think I could ever go back to it."

"I see," he said again. Darkness had completely fallen now and he moved closer to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "I wonder how much longer it'll be till we reach the hospital."

"I'm starting to wonder if this isn't a ruse of some kind."

"Yeah. Good thing we're behind them, ne?"

"Mmm. If we're not worrying about traitorous Japanese or invading Russians or radical youkai, we're worrying about doctors who seem to have shifting loyalties."

"No, they're definitely on a side. We're just not sure which."

"I'll bet you anything they're double agents," she said wryly.

"Sango, don't even joke about something like that." Miroku's voice was sharp.

"Sorry." She looked at him curiously. "Had a bad experience?"

"A friend did. It's just not something you want to… to find the humor in."

"Yeah? If we don't try and find the humor in the gravest of subjects, what's the point of living?"

"It's more a matter of respect, I think."

"Oh?" she said, rather frostily.

"Not to offend you or anything…" he said as an afterthought.

"It's okay. You're just not used to death yet."

His eyebrows pinched as a shadow of annoyance passed over his face. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm a taijiya," said Sango. "I killed creatures for a living… and I had to learn to not let it bother me. If I grieved for every single youkai I killed, I would be a perpetual mess of tears and ruddy cheeks."

"That's not what I—"

"No, you did mean it. Because you were shocked that I could be so callous to death. It's always the same with you monks—oblivious to the _real_ pain and suffering of the world, wrapped up in your own little holy thoughts—"

"Do you really believe that?"

Sango swallowed back the rest of her words and took a tentative glance at his face. Yeah, he was angry. But he deserved it. She knew this was too good to be true—for a moment, she was caught up in the feeling of '_love'_ and the fact that they were "married." _You're really losing it, Sango—allowing yourself to be fooled by your own game._ "The truth hurts, huh?"

"It's seems you're not the girl I thought you were," he said, his eyes turning a violent shade of purple.

"And you're not exactly the man I thought—"

A horrible scream cut off her thought as she was thrown to the ground by a flying object. "What the—?"

Miroku dropped to his knees. "Sango! Are you all right?"

"Oh my god oh my god…" She scrambled away from the thing that had hit her. The unattached head of Aide Tonner.

Out of the shadows of the forest jumped an uncountable number of Russian soldiers.

-

-

Inuyasha's ears perked up. Kagome stopped in her tracks, too tired to ask what was bothering him.

"Something's up," he muttered, his gaze focused intently off in the distance.

Yoshida stood by Kagome, silent as well.

The hanyou turned to face the miko and the Prime Minister. "Turn back."

"What—?"

"Turn back. I smell a battle up there. And from the amount of blood, it isn't pretty."

-

-

"Run, Sango!"

"Miroku—"

"I said _run_!" He swung his shakujou and knocked out two soldiers, only to have three more charge at him the next instant.

"Not on your life!" Sango sprung to his side and began to fight off soldiers as well.

"Get _out_ of here!" Miroku shouted at her, bashing a soldier on the head. Two Russians pounced on him at the same time, bringing him down to the ground. Sango threw a well-placed kick at the base of his head, snapping his neck. She threw a kick at the other man, but he deftly caught her foot and pulled her to the ground.

She struggled to get to her feet, but the Russian soldier grabbed her, pulling her arms behind her back in a vice. A terror seized her as she felt hands close around her neck, and began to struggle in earnest.

"Sango!"

She saw Miroku throw a desperate punch at the man pinning him to the ground. He was bleeding from… where? She couldn't tell; he was completely covered in blood.

Her vision was beginning to fade; her lungs were screaming for air. She stomped on the feet of her captor, but that did little good. She could hear him laughing at her as he squeezed harder.

_Oh dear god…_ She gasped for breath, but no air was let in. Her throat burned and her vision was blurring.

And then, suddenly, the hands were gone. Sango dropped to her knees, filling her lungs with the beautiful, cool, air. Her hair fell into her face as she sat there, immobile, breathing.

_Why isn't anyone else attacking me?_

She snuck a glance through her curtain of hair and saw three Russian soldiers fall to the ground at once, blood showering through the air like a rainstorm. In front of the pile of bodies landed a khaki-clad figure, which straightened and regarded her intently with piercing blue eyes. His black ponytail was swaying slightly from the jump.

He turned his head and viewed his handiwork: every single Russian in that band that had jumped out at them was now lying on the ground in a pool of blood.

Despite her taijiya upbringing, Sango nearly gagged.

"You look familiar," the man said, squatting down on his hamstrings to look at her curiously. "Have we met before?"

"I don't… believe so," she said, massaging her sore neck. She was surely going to have bruises from the soldier's death grip.

"Hm." His crystalline eyes shifted to her left. "That priest—he belong to you?"

Miroku! Sango gasped and scrambled over to his side, tripping on her dress in the process. "Miroku—!"

His eyes were closed, but he was breathing—barely. His robes were soaked with blood.

"Miroku…" She laid a hand on his forehead; a silly gesture, but pure reflex. "Wake up… please, wake up. We need to get you to safety."

He moaned a little, but didn't open his eyes.

Sango looked up helplessly at the blue-eyed man. "Can you take us about five miles down the road or so? He needs immediate help…" she trailed off. "But first, who are you, exactly?"

He flashed her a grin. "Don't worry, missy, I'm on your side."

"How can you know that?"

He pointed at Miroku. "He's with us, ma'am. I don't suppose you'd be traveling with him if you weren't a sympathizer for our cause as well."

"Your cause being…?"

"Rest assured, ma'am, I am a full-blooded demon and part of the Channel. Though you look human yourself… smell like one, too." He reached over and grabbed Miroku by the robes, slinging him over his shoulders. Miroku gave a small groan of pain, but that was it.

"Now," the man said, nodding towards Sango, "let's go find that hospital before this guy dies."

She winced but followed mutely, her overworked brain trying to process the information she'd just received. _So…__ Miroku's not only knows of the Channel, he's _part_ of the Channel. Yeah, whatever happened to truth within a marriage?_

-

-

_She's human… and she didn't react to the name "Channel," _Kouga mused. _And this is most obviously our saintly contact—or he _was._ May have to find a new one in a few hours._

What he didn't understand was why she and the monk had been traveling with the Thunder brothers, Hiten and Manten, those Black Mask bums. He'd found Manten's head, but Hiten had somehow disappeared during the skirmish.

The woman was silent as she walked, her gaze straying to look at the man upon his shoulders from time to time. _Hm__ Wonder if she's in love with him or something…?_

Was she a Channel collaborator? Or did the Thunder brothers' presence mean something more?

Kouga shrugged. No matter. If she was involved with Naraku, he'd kill her before she had a chance to beg otherwise.

-

-

Once again, Inuyasha stopped short in the middle of the road. This time, Kagome crashed into his back. "What the hell, Inuyasha? Make up your freaking mind!"

"Shut it," he said absently, sniffing the air. _Kouga.__ That wolf's around here? What the hell for?_ He jerked towards Yoshida and pointed to his back. "Get on."

"I beg your pardon," the man spluttered.

"No time. Get on." As the older man tried to climb on in the most dignified way possible, he held out an arm to Kagome. "Come on," he said impatiently. "I'll have to carry you—there's no way we can travel fast enough with you dragging your feet like that."

She stood firm. "Where are we going? I thought you said there was a battle."

"You're a nurse, aren't you? There will undoubtedly be casualties. You need to be there."

"What about getting Yoshida-sama to safety?"

"Don't you trust me?"

She gave him a wary look. "I'm not so sure anymore…"

Why did that hurt so much? He pushed the thought out of his mind with a scowl. What they hell did he care if this wench trusted him or not? "Well, sorry, you don't have a choice." He swept her off her feet and cuddled her to his chest with one arm, keeping the other on Yoshida's back. He felt like a freakin' circus clown. "Put your arms around my neck."

She reluctantly did so.

Good. That took some pressure of his one arm.

"And off we go," he muttered, racing off into the distance. Maybe if he found Kouga, he'd dump the girl off with him and get Yoshida to safety. And _then_ he could focus on his own priorities.

-

-

Nearly an hour later, Sango, Miroku, and the mysterious demon reached the field hospital. Sango's feet were dragging by then, and Miroku was still passed out cold, most likely from blood loss. The light from inside the haphazardly-set up tent illuminated figures inside, their shadows cast against the canvas like a child playing hand games with a candle.

The demon confidently strode into the tent. "Oi! Nurse-women! I need a doctor!"

A few nurses glanced at him uninterestedly and didn't halt what they were doing. Sango had to laugh at the miffed expression on the man's face. Obviously he wasn't used to being ignored.

She didn't recognize many of the nurses here, which was a little unsettling. She had assumed that Kitosumo had traveled with his entourage of nurses… but then she remembered the fire. She bit her lip. _That's right… I'd nearly forgotten about that. Kagome—I wonder where Kagome is?_

One of the new nurses walked up to them, wiping her hands on her apron. "If you'll just set the man on this open cot over here, I'll take care of him until a doctor can see him."

The demon startled and was staring at the pretty red-headed nurses with an almost hostile glare. "Of course… _my dear_," he nearly snarled.

She raised her chin in response, her green eyes flashing.

"Excuse me," Sango said, breaking the negative electricity passing between them, "but I'm a nurse, too… I was separated from the group after the battle at Sapporo. Who should I see to be readmitted?"

"Dr. Kitosumo just came in not too long ago from an excursion of some sort. He's outside the back of the tent, taking a break."

Sango started. "Dr. Kitosumo? He's… alive?"

"Looked like death itself, but he's breathing."

"Ah." She narrowed her eyes. "Well, thank you… Ill just go see him then…"

The nurse stepped aside, allowing her berth. Sango purposefully strode down the aisle between the two rows of cots that held wounded soldiers. Kitosumo was alive, was he? The little weasel must have slipped out of the skirmish somehow.

She was beginning to believe that there were a few hidden meanings to the nickname 'Devil Doctor.'

-

-

As soon as the woman was out of earshot, Kouga dumped the contact on a bed and turned to face Ayame. "What the hell are you doing here, woman?"

"Nursing. What does it look like?"

"I doubt that's _all_ you're doing."

She smiled tightly. "You know best."

He caught the sarcasm. "And don't you forget it."

"Arrogant pig." She turned away and began to tug off the monk's robes. "God, this man is soaked in blood… how many times did he get shot?" The fabric finally gave and her breath caught as she took in the sight before her. "My god…"

He had at least four bullet wounds in his abdomen, and she couldn't count how many elsewhere. She swore and looked around for a doctor. "I'm not qualified to remove these… and they need to come out before infection sets in."

Kouga crossed his arms. "What do you want me to do about it?"

"His life is important to you, isn't it? Go find a doctor!"

"Ayame, I don't want you to be here. It's dangerous."

"So I'm supposed to watch silently while you go off putting yourself into danger? Maybe now you know how it feels being helpless to control the fate of a loved one—" She pursed her lips. "Never mind."

Kouga grasped her shoulders and forced her to look him in the eye. "I just want to protect you—"

"I understand—but you can't."

"What do you mean I _can't_?"

"How can you protect me when you're—" she lowered her voice—"gallivanting off doing your patriotic missions? I'm probably in more danger just sitting around in the village than being here, actually fighting for what I believe in."

"I don't see you doing much fighting," he snarled.

"Yeah? Open your eyes, blindman, I'm aiding my cause just as much as you are—so get over it!"

"Ayame—"

She pulled away from him. "We're done with this conversation. And I need to find a doctor." With that, she stormed away.

Kouga looked down at the monk. "Must be nice to be a holy man and not have to worry about females."

-

-

Dr. Kitosumo was sitting on a crate outside the tent, listlessly smoking a cigarette.

Sango pointedly cleared her throat, making sure to keep a good distance from him.

"Yeah?" He didn't even raise his head to look at her.

"How did you get out of that battle so quickly?"

Now he looked up. "Oh. You're alive."

_Damn straight I am._ "Yeah. Nice to see you too."

"Quite. After all those nurses I lost, it's nice to know I still have some left." He feebly threw the cigarette to the ground and crushed it with his foot.

"You didn't answer my question."

"I am aware of that, Miss Sango."

"… Well?"

"Return to you duties, since you obviously need something to do."

"Not until you answer my question."

"As a doctor, and your superior, I have no obligation to answer any question of yours."

"You pompous ass, I nearly _died_ out there—and my husband is _this close_ away from taking permanent residence in the afterlife! I think that's justification enough for wanting to know why you're sitting here unscathed!"

He blew a smoke ring in her face. "Get out of here, bitch."

She slapped him.

Kitosumo shot to his feet and shoved her to the ground. "How dare you—"

"Careful, Doctor," she taunted, rising to her feet. "Bear in mind that I could kick your ass any day of the week."

He threw her to the ground again, this time covering her body with his own. She kneed him forcefully, but he didn't even flinch. "There's nothing stopping me right now from stealing your innocence," he leered, his breath hot on her face.

Sickened, Sango pushed upwards and flipped him over so that his arms were pinned beneath her and he was face-down in the dirt. "I'm _married_, remember? And if you ever try a stunt like that again, I'll kill you."

He snarled and jerked his head upwards, his skull cracking against her jaw. With a cry of pain, Sango fell backwards onto her rear.

Kitosumo rose to his feet and cruelly grabbed a fistful of her hair. "I can have you murdered in a _second_, sweetheart. You think I'm stupid? I know you're in with the Channel… you and your 'husband.' The only thing that's kept my from killing you is your nursing skills. I suggest you abandon this foolish… _patriotism_—" he spat the word—"and focus on finding yourself a real husband. A woman who fights and spies loses her appeal."

"Bastard," she whispered.

"And don't your forget it." He let go of her hair and strode toward the tent. "Oh…" He paused, his hand on the flap. "And if you want to continue living, Miss Sango, I suggest you distance yourself from that monk. And don't mention this conversation again… Unpleasant scenes leave a bitter taste in my mouth."

He disappeared into the tent.

Sango slowly pushed herself to her knees, shaken. He knew? Everything? And he was keeping her on because she was a good _nurse_?

Hell, she didn't have to stand for this. She'd go work at another hospital, since her skills were apparently so favorable.

_Miroku_. She needed to see Miroku. She didn't care if he was mad at her, she needed him. She cared more about him than any other man she'd ever known…

She burst into the tent and sprinted to where she saw Miroku last.

He wasn't there. Neither was the blue-eyed demon.

_Where…_? A sinking feeling emerging in the pit of her stomach, she sought out the red-haired nurse. "Miss? Where did you put the wounded man in the purple robes? He was lying on that bed a minute ago…"

"Oh, him? The… ah… soldier… took him. Said he could find him much better care for him in another location. Said he didn't trust this hospital… or its workers." Her lip curled.

Sango reeled, grasping the edge of a cot for support. _No…_

"Hey, are you okay?" The woman slipped an arm around her waist. "You've gone pale. Let me get you something to eat and drink… that battle must have had an awful toll on you."

_Gods, no… Miroku…_

Now she'd lost everything…

-

-

Inuyasha stopped abruptly and Kagome tightened her arms around his neck to avoid falling.

"What is it?" she asked.

His face was twisted into a grimace. "The Wolf." He set Kagome down and helped Yoshida off his back. They were in deep inside the forest; Kagome had no idea where they were, but assumed they were still in Japan… though they could be in England for all she knew.

A familiar whirlwind was rising in the distance, testifying that Inuyasha's nose had once again proven its worth. The wolf demon stopped in front of their rag-tag group, a wounded, shirtless man in his arms. "Dog-turd? What are you doing here?"

"Trying to get the Prime Minister to safety," he snapped. "And what are _you_ doing?"

"Getting our contact to one of _our_ hospitals where we can be sure he won't be murdered during the night by Doctors that really work for the other side."

"Oh. Not a bad idea," he said grudgingly.

"Oh—! Miroku-sama!" cried Kagome, suddenly recognizing the man. "Is he all right?"

"A little banged up, but no worse for wear," the wolf demon said. "And how are you, Miss Kagome?"

"Tired. Worried."

"Want me to take her with me, Doggie Turd? That way you can focus on getting Yoshida-sama to a safehaven—"

Inuyasha roughly pulled Kagome towards his side. "She's fine. I'm fine. We're fine. Bye, Wolf."

The demon shrugged. "Have it your way. But that's an extra two days of traveling with her along."

They made it seem like she was an unwanted piece of baggage or something… Kagome shoved away from Inuyasha. It wasn't as if she'd been _asked_ to be abducted.

"I know." Inuyasha didn't look too happy about the fact. "We'll make it all right."

"Sure. I'll let the guys know you're still alive."

"Appreciate it." Inuyasha motioned to Yoshida, who climbed up on the hanyou's back again. Inuyasha scooped Kagome up into his arms and took off running, not bothering to say goodbye to Wolf.

Kagome stiffly held on to his neck. "If I'm really that much of a burden, why didn't you let Wolf take me to wherever he was going?"

"Don't worry about it."

"At least I could've rested there."

"Did you really _want_ to go with that Wimpy Wolf, wench?" he said, looking at her crossly.

"No… not really," she murmured, looking down. "But if I'm just a hindrance to you—"

"I said don't worry about it." He tugged her closer to him, so close that she was able to hear his heartbeat. "You can sleep if you want… if you're tired."

"How can I sleep with all this jouncing?" she replied halfheartedly.

He tucked her head into the crook of his neck. "You're fine, wench… don't worry so much."

_Is that his way of saying…?_ Kagome yawned and decided to take his advice. She wouldn't worry about it—at least not for tonight.

-

As they traveled farther north, the Russian army slowly crept inland, their hold on Japanese territory increasing with every step of the way.

-

-

-

A/N: Wow, it felt good to post this. Sorry for the horrible time delay, but I think I've got the ball rolling again. I know the amount of dialogue in the past few chapters was a bit excessive, but it was necessary. (; I apologize for any careless errors; I really wanted to get this chapter out. Hope you guys enjoyed (thanks for putting up with my slow updates). Review and tell me what you thought!


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